Masked
by Stellae Micantes
Summary: At the age of 23, Gohan leads a happy life; he has a steady job as a scientist and a beautiful fiancée. However, things aren't always what they seem. What happens when an old friend crosses his path? Find out who's being sincere and who's wearing a mask. Gohan/partly OC. You'll understand if you read it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Since this is my first story ever, I'd love to receive some reviews. Don't be shy and let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, nor anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**1.**

Gohan stared at his computer screen, looking at the different diagrams on the monitor. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he looked back at the equations and calculations scribbled on the paper lying on the desk in front of him. He was glad to get back to work, after having spent the summer almost boring himself to death. Bulma had granted him six weeks to go on vacation, even though he had refused. She wanted him to take a break and do something for himself, to enjoy his life. Fact was he didn't mind working, really. He liked the steady rhythm of going to work on a daily basis and doing some training in the weekends. He liked being busy, as it kept his mind from always thinking of the past, so he spent his days working at Capsule Corp. and saving the city as the Golden Warrior whenever he was needed. It was all he could do to do at least something. He couldn't be a real hero, no, he wasn't cut out for that role. He'd always be in the shadows of his father. Not that he had the dire need to surpass him, but he just wanted to make his father proud, something he felt he was failing terribly at. A knock on the door of his office woke him up from his thoughts.

"Come in," Gohan said after having adjusted his glasses. The door opened to let a blue-haired woman peek around it.

"Hi there stranger," the woman said while walking up to him, closing the door behind her.

"Hi Bulma, nice to see you again," he answered while standing up from his chair to give her a quick hug.

"I bet you had a wonderful holiday, since you haven't called once nor dropped by in the past six weeks," she said.

"'Uh…I- I ehm," he stuttered while scratching the back of his head innocently.

"I see," she said, already knowing he had stayed home the entire summer. However, she didn't want to probe him any further, so instead she asked him how his mother was doing.

"She says she's alright, but it's pretty evident she gets lonely, especially with Goten going to school now."

Bulma nodded. "She can stay at our house if she wants to, you know. There's plenty of space. Besides, she might like a little company," Bulma offered.

"Yeah thanks, but I think she just wants to stay at home, really. Although my father is gone, she refuses to leave home, saying it's the only thing she's got left from her life with him. It's hard to see her suffer."

"I understand. What about you though, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied. He didn't want her nor anyone for that matter to concern about his life.

She narrowed her eyes at him, looking for any signs of him lying, but since Gohan had become a master in hiding his true feelings, Bulma didn't notice anything.

"Anyway, I came down here to tell you the opening of our new health department will be this upcoming Friday in the form of a masquerade ball. I want you to be there too, Gohan, it'll be fun!" she said, clasping her hands in excitement.

"You're kidding me right?" he said as he looked back at her.

"No, not at all. It starts at 21:00 p.m. and you'd better be there, 'cause I already got you a mask," she said, while handing him over a small, rectangular black box. He accepted the box hesitantly.

"You're gonna go and attend the ball Gohan, no excuses. See ya!"

Before he could protest, she was out of his office. He opened the little box to reveal a black mask with gold details.

"_A masquerade ball, huh?"_ He thought to himself. _Oh the irony_. Truth be told, wearing a mask was all he did nowadays; After the death of his father nearly five years ago, when his father sacrificed himself to save the world from Buu, Gohan understood he needed to be strong to support his mother and that his little brother needed someone to look up to, so he could not show any signs of weakness. What hurt him the most about the loss of the world's most beloved hero though was the fact that he had died because Gohan himself wasn't strong enough to defeat Buu and he blamed himself for that. Him acting like everything was alright was nothing but a façade. No one really knew about his inner turmoil, not even his fiancée Videl. He chose not to let her know, as it would only worry her and he didn't like people worrying about him. So he pretended he wasn't grieving anymore and that he had moved on, just like everybody else. Yet rarely a day passes by without him thinking about it; what he should've done but didn't, but _couldn't_.

He ran his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. He understood Bulma meant well, thinking it would cheer him up to see his old friends, the Z-fighters, again. However, it only made the pain worse as it made him more aware of the fact that the group of Z-fighters was incomplete without his father. He never visited them, because he was simply too afraid to face them. Yet they all didn't seem to blame him, or perhaps they had forgiven him, something he himself wasn't able to do. He would just have to put on his famous grin à la Son to keep everyone happy. Sighing, he put the mask in the top drawer of his desk and went back to work.

The week went by rather quickly and soon Gohan found himself at his apartment, getting dressed for the event. He was standing in the bedroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror as he held two different ties in front of him.

"Videl, could you come over here and help me pick a tie?" he asked, having raised his voice just a little so that Videl, who was in the bathroom, could hear him. Soon she appeared in the doorway.

"I can't decide whether to wear this one or this one," he said, still looking in the mirror.

"What do you think?" he asked and turned to where Videl was standing, but was surprised to see Videl hadn't changed into her formal clothing yet.

"I'm afraid I can't come with you Gohan. I just got a call from the hospital…my father has been brought in unconscious, so I'm gonna head over there and stay there until he's awake," she said, while walking up to him.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no, that's okay, I want you to go and enjoy the party," she answered, putting her hands flat on his chest and smiling up to him.

"You sure?" Gohan asked concerned.

Videl nodded in return. "I'll be fine, don't worry," she said and stood on her toes to kiss him. Gohan wound his left arm around her waist, pulling her closer. It took some restraint from Gohan to break the kiss.

Videl looked at the ties Gohan was holding. "Pick that one," she said, "it matches your mask." Then she briskly left the apartment, leaving Gohan on his own.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, pondering over what could've happened to Hercule. "_Videl didn't look so concerned_," he thought to himself as he put on his tie. "_Maybe she just doesn't want me to worry."_He groaned at the prospect of having to face the crowd on his own, but he put on his mask anyway, checked himself for a final time in the mirror and then headed off to the masquerade ball at CC.

* * *

He arrived a few minutes after nine o'clock and found himself in a crowd of what was probably about two hundred people. He straightened himself up, looking desperately for familiar faces. Soon though, he heard a familiar voice instead.

"Hey there buddy, long time no see!"

He looked around to see Krillin standing there, along with 18, Yamcha, Bulma and to his surprise, even Vegeta all dressed up. "How come you never call us?"

"I'm sorry man, I've been…busy," Gohan apologized, rubbing the back of his head like the Sons did.

"Sure," Yamcha said sarcastically, "busy doing Videl," he said jokingly, to which everyone laughed, much to Gohan's embarrassment.

"Where is she though?" Bulma asked after having slapped Yamcha.

"She's at the hospital with her father," Gohan replied.

"O, sorry to hear that. Is he alright?"

"We don't know yet. Videl said she'd call me."

"Right. Well I guess I should wish you luck then, fighting off all these women," Yamcha said, while the others were already disappearing into the crowd.

"Huh?" Gohan replied confused.

"Dude, are you really that oblivious of all those females who are trying to get your attention? There's one woman in particular who has been eyeing you ever since you entered the room," Yamcha said nodding his head in the direction of where a woman stood on her own, wearing a gold mask and dressed in a silky, red dress that reached to the floor. Gohan had to tear his eyes away from the beautiful woman before replying.

"I'm not interested, Yamcha. I'm about to marry Videl in a few months," Gohan said, scowling at his friend for the fact that he thought Gohan would be interested in any other woman.

Yamcha shrugged and walked over to the bar to get a drink.

About an hour and a half had passed when some of the guests were starting to form pairs and started to dance to the music that was being produced by a live jazz band. Yamcha was right; women were practically throwing their selves at Gohan , since he was standing all by himself. Even though he felt rather embarrassed, he had to admit he was flattered as well with all the female attention he was getting. The poor man however didn't know what to do with it and it seemed like the blush that had stained his cheeks for over an hour now would stay there permanently if he wouldn't get out of there soon. He had great difficulty with rejecting them without hurting their feelings. While woman after woman tried to get his number, he couldn't help but stealing glances at the woman dressed in red standing about thirty feet away from him. She eyed him carefully and curiously through her little golden mask, her long, brown luxurious locks of wavy hair falling past her shoulders, while she was talking to a few men. Gohan looked at the woman, then at the men and couldn't help feeling just a teensy bit jealous, seeing her surrounded by all those admirers. Shaking his head to get rid of that ridiculous feeling, he looked at her again, his eyes narrowed.

"_Have I met her before? Why is she staring at me like that?"_

When he could no longer resist, he politely excused himself from the women around him and walked over slowly to the mysterious woman, wanting to get his questions answered. He figured he could ask her to dance, so that he could speak with her one on one. Normally, he wouldn't do such a thing, but determination and sheer curiosity made him do it anyway.

"_Besides, one dance couldn't do any harm, right?" _he thought to himself while closing in the distance between him and the woman.

"Excuse me miss, may I have this dance?" Gohan asked formally, while stretching out his right hand to the woman. The men surrounding the woman shot him death glares.

She cocked her head to the side ever so slightly and a faint smile formed on her lips.

"Why, of course," she answered, taking his hand and leaving her personal fan club behind. He led them to the dance floor, where he put his left hand on her waist as the woman put her right hand on his shoulder. He took her left hand in his right and they started swaying to the jazzy music.

"What is your name miss, if I may ask?"

"What's the point in wearing a mask, if I was to reveal my identity?" she counter-questioned, keeping her eyes that were the colour of a deep blue-green ocean focused on his.

Gohan narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. Then his eyes fell upon the bracelet the woman was wearing on her left wrist. It was a golden bracelet in the shape of a snake.

"Have we met before?" he asked, looking into her eyes again as if he'd find the answer there.

"That's a lame pick-up line," she said smirking. "Where's your wife?" she asked, glancing at the ring on Gohan's finger.

"Fiancée," Gohan corrected.

"Same thing. So, do you always go around seducing other women when she's not with you?" she asked him, a playful smile on her lips.

"You're the one who kept staring at me for the past two hours," Gohan replied nonchalantly.

"Is that so? Well, don't worry about me hitting on you. I can't dance and make a pass at the same time. I lose count," she responded jokingly.

"Actually, I think _you _were the one who asked _me_ to dance," she continued, once again with a playful smile.

"I'm not trying to hit - " he wanted to deny, but got interrupted by the woman, who had stopped swaying to the music with him and had released her hand from his, as the song had ended and people were applauding. The woman leaned in to Gohan, as it was hard to hear one speaking during the applause.

"It's okay, everybody's got secrets, Gohan," she said in his ear, making him shiver when her warm breath tickled his neck. She cast a final look at him, smiling at the confused man. Then she turned around and walked away, leaving Gohan all by himself on the dance floor in the ball room.

Bewildered, Gohan let his eyes follow her, his brows furrowed together in confusion. "_That's odd, how does she know my name?" _


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Maybe I should have said this earlier, but this indeed is a little A/U. Goku, unfortunately, died battling Buu five years ago.**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

**Masked**

**2.**

* * *

After too many seconds, Gohan realized he was still staring into the direction the woman had left. People around him were dancing again, as a new song had started. He manoeuvred his way through the maze of dancing couples to get over to the bar and get a drink. Still a little dumfounded about what just had taken place, he sat down on a stool and ordered himself a double whiskey. The alcohol wouldn't have any effect on him, since it would never really make it into his system, thanks to the fast metabolism the Saiyans had, but he drank it anyway. He tried to visualize the woman again, closing his eyes in the progress. All the noise and commotion around him made it hard to focus.

'_She didn't look that familiar…then again, she was wearing a mask,'_ he thought, mentally face palming and at that moment he felt his cell-phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw he had received a text message from Videl.

_Don't stay up for me; I won't be home until tomorrow morning. My father says he can't sleep when I'm gone. Love you._

'_Alrighty then. I guess I won't have to mind about coming home too late, since Videl won't be there to interrogate me afterwards,' _he thought by himself. He looked around to see where his friends were, but then felt a hand clasp his shoulder. The hand belonged to Yamcha, who was visibly drunk.

'Heeey man, why the long face? So many beautiful women out here,' Yamcha said, although some words were barely audible.

Gohan scowled at Yamcha. 'I'm with Videl.'

'But she's not here dude! Who cares? She won't find out,' his friend said, while attempting to wink, though it seemed more like he was having a spasm in his eye.

'_He's right. She wouldn't find out since she doesn't have the keen sense of smell we Saiyans have, so she won't be able to smell the scent of another woman on me,_' he thought but immediately slapped himself mentally for even going there.

'You're just drunk, Yamcha. Anyway, have you seen that woman in the red dress?' he tried to ask nonchalantly.

'Why, do you fancy her?' his friend asked teasingly.

'No, I do not,' Gohan answered, while pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index-finger in mild irritation, mainly because he found he nearly needed to convince _himself_ by saying it out loud.

Yamcha saw this and didn't want to annoy him further, so he decided he'd answer seriously. 'No man, I haven't seen her, sorry,' to which Gohan nodded in response and stood up, leaving his drunk friend by himself. He went looking for Bulma instead and soon found her standing with her husband, talking to some businessman. When she saw Gohan standing and looking at her from a little distance, she excused herself and walked over to him.

'Hey, are you enjoying yourself?' she asked, smiling warmly.

'Yes, thank you Bulma. It's wonderful', he responded while trying to sound as convincing as possible.

'Oh stop it you, I know you're not a big fan of big crowds, nor parties,' Bulma said, at which Gohan admittingly laughed.

'Who are all these people anyway?' he asked, hoping he would get to know who the woman was as well, or at least get to know where she's from.

'I just invited a few business friends and you guys obviously, but most of them are new employees I just hired for the health department.'

'Right. Do you happen to have a guest list somewhere?' Maybe he could check the guest list and look if any familiar names were on it.

'Yeah I do actually, why?'

'I, ehm, I was…ehm,' Gohan found himself tongue-tied, as he suddenly felt stupid for asking that question, since he had no good excuse prepared. So instead, he flashed his usual Son grin and scratched the back of his head. This always works. Bulma rolled her eyes at him and took him to one of her staff members who was in control of the guest list.

'Here it is,' she said and handed a long list over to him. Gohan let his eyes quickly skim over the names, but the only names that were familiar to him were the ones of his friends.

'We don't have an intruder, do we?' Bulma asked him, now a little concerned.

'Huh? No, I was just…curious, that's all,' he said and smiled again. He looked at his watch to see it was 11.31 pm.

'Anyway, I think I'm gonna head home. I want to go visit my mother tomorrow morning, so I can't go over there with a hangover,' he said, even though he technically couldn't get one, but still.

'Of course, tell her I said hi, okay?'

'Sure, thanks again for the party Bulma.'

'Anytime,' she said winking.

As soon as Gohan stepped outside, he was relieved by the cool night air. Making sure he was out of sight, he took off to air, once again thinking about his strange encounter with the dark-haired woman. '_Maybe I'm just overthinking this_,' he thought while the wind rushed by him, '_maybe I met her once at a congress, yes, that would make sense._' He decided he was satisfied with that solution and sped up to get home faster.

* * *

The next morning, Gohan woke up when he heard Videl shutting the door softly to the apartment and tip-toeing her way to the kitchen to make some coffee. Gohan smiled, thinking it was cute that Videl tried to be as silent as possible, even though his sensitive Saiyan ears could pick up the sounds easily. Getting up, he stretched out his limbs and walked over to the window to open the curtains. It was a beautiful morning and the sunrays greeted Gohan happily. Gohan's nose picked up the scent of cooking being done in the kitchen and he headed over to his kitchen princess after having thrown on pyjama bottoms.

'To what do I owe the pleasure of having my beautiful fiancée making me breakfast?' he asked, while planting a kiss on Videl's cheek and snaking one of his arms around Videl's tiny waist.

'You're awake already? I wanted to surprise you,' she said while adding more pancakes to the stack that was already on a plate.

'Sit,' she said and gestured to a chair at the table. Gohan obliged and took a seat, after having poured some coffee into a mug.

'So how's your father? Have they figured out what happened to him yet?' he asked.

Videl shook her head. 'They don't know what happened yet. He did gain consciousness for a short while though. The doctors will be running a MRI-scan and some other tests. Meanwhile he'll have to stay at the hospital,' she answered and placed a huge stack of pancakes in front of Gohan on the table.

'Dig in,' she said smiling at the sight of her lover, who was clearly trying to refrain himself from devouring his pancakes in one bite.

'You know,' Gohan said having swallowed a piece of pancakes, 'we could get Dende to heal him. He'll be fine in no time,' he said and continued stuffing his face.

'Er, yeah, but you know how my father thinks about that. He'll probably get a heart-attack when he sees that kind of magic,' Videl quickly replied.

Gohan narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, but shrugged in his turn. 'If you say so.'

'Anyway, I planned on visiting my mother today. Will you come with?'

'Sure, just let me take a shower first,' she said, kissed his forehead and walked over to the bathroom.

* * *

'Mother, are you home?' Gohan looked around as he entered the little house at Mt. Paozu, the house that still smelled like home to him.

'I'm in the kitchen!' a woman's voice called and Gohan and Videl walked over to the kitchen, to see a small woman busying herself with food. She quickly washed her hands when she saw her guests and walked over them to give each of them a hug.

'Nice to see you again, Videl. I was just making breakfast,' Chi-Chi said and returned to her cooking.

'We just had some, mom,' Gohan said, but soon regretted saying it as his mother threw him a death glare.

'Sit and eat, young man.'

Gohan quickly sat himself down, before he'd get hit by one of his mom's frying pans. Goten soon entered the kitchen as well.

'Gohan!' he exclaimed and was about to tackle his older brother but was distracted by the smell of delicious food.

Chi-Chi placed all different kinds of food on the table and she and Videl watched the demi-Saiyans eat with an inhuman speed.

'You know…I don't think I'll ever get used to this,' Videl said to her soon to be mother-in-law, who smiled at her in return.

After some small talk, Videl suddenly stood up and left the room, making Chi-Chi throw a questioning look towards Gohan, who shrugged in response. Videl returned after 2 minutes, saying the hospital had called again. Gohan and Videl quickly thanked Chi-Chi for breakfast before heading outdoors.

'Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?' Gohan asked with concern.

Videl nodded. 'The doctors say my father can't have too many visitors being with him, as it'll only cause more stress. '

Before Gohan could respond, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed off to the hospital, leaving Gohan standing alone in front of his old home.

He decided he'd go into the woods and roam around like he used to when he was a kid. Sure he liked living on his own with Videl now in the city, as it was close to work, but he loved coming back to the mountains and take in the fresh air that nature provided him. He could sense little ki's all around him, coming from all kinds of different beings. Nature provided him something nothing else could provide; calmness, peace and silence. However, being surrounded by the seemingly endless serene beauty of Mother Earth also gave him the opportunity to think about his past. Yes, the serenity of the woods gave him a sense of comfort, but it also reminded him of the days he had spent with his father sparring, training to fight threatening monsters or getting ready for tournaments. And thinking about his father made him think about well, his death. So being in the woods had a double-sided effect on him; while on one hand it soothed him, it reminded him of his discomfort and inner turmoil as well.

Gohan's thoughts were disturbed when he suddenly saw a figure climbing up a tree. He came closer, while hiding himself behind trees. He frowned as he saw the figure was a woman with a bow and arrow. Sheer curiosity encouraged him to follow the woman who was hopping from tree to tree, making it look like the easiest thing in the world. After a while, the woman jumped back onto the ground and ran into some bushes, seeming to have noticed the young man following her. Confused, Gohan stopped in his tracks and looked around him, but couldn't find any trace of the woman. He tried sensing her ki instead, but didn't sense a ki big enough to be a human's.

'_Strange_…' he thought to himself.

He was about to turn around and head back home when suddenly an arrow whooshed right past his head, only missing him by a few inches. The arrow landed in the trunk of the tree Gohan had been hiding behind. Cursing himself for being caught off guard so easily, he quickly took a fighting stance.

'You should know better than to sneak up on people like that,' a voice said.

Gohan quickly scanned the area, and his eyes landed on a woman standing several feet away from him. She was dressed in rather primitive clothing, revealing lots of bare skin, and holding a bow and arrow, aiming yet another arrow at her spy.

'It could get you killed,' she said smirking.

* * *

**A/N:** Is 'admittingly' even a word? Lol, according to my Word program it isn't. And why is Chi-Chi always in the kitchen? O_o Also, let me know if this kind of progress is good, or if I should slow down the story a bit or perhaps speed up.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This one's kinda short, but your kind reviews encourage me to write, so I figured I'd give you guys a lill' something back. Just a little though, 'cause I'm tired as fuck. My apologies.**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**3.**

'You're lucky I'm not the kind of guy who fights women', Gohan said, although remaining in fighting stance.

'You sure?' the woman said and fired another arrow at him. Gohan managed to avoid getting shot in the chest, but only barely so.

'Would you stop that?' he said, unable to restrain the annoyance in his voice.

The woman clad in animal skin straightened herself and cocked her head to the side a little.

'Grumpy now are we? ' she said smirking, while shifting her weight to lean on her bow.

Gohan didn't respond, instead taking the opportunity to look at her. He frowned as her appearance struck him as quite odd. She kind of resembled an ancient amazon, her long brown hair flowing down her shoulders with some kind of woven bandana encircling the top of her head to keep the hair out of her face. A faint blush crept on his cheeks as he took in the image of her body. Lots of bare skin was revealed. She had a slim figure, yet curvy and had the long legs every girl would die for. She was actually quite tall for a woman, only about two inches shorter than Gohan. Then his eyes fell upon the bracelet she was wearing. This certainly did look familiar to him. Gohan relaxed from his fighting stance, standing up straight. He started to approach her when an alarming look on the woman's face made him want to turn around, but before he could, something hit him in the head and he passed out.

* * *

'There, he won't bother you any more for a while,' a young man said.

'What the hell Nero?! He wasn't any danger to me!' the amazon said running over to Gohan, checking his unconscious body.

'Any man is a danger to you, Athena. I was protecting you, that's all. You should be grateful,' Nero answered matter-of-factly.

'I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you very much. _Meus Deus_, you hit him way too hard! He's bleeding, Nero, we need to take care of him,' Athena said, concern written all over her face.

'No,' the young man answered bluntly. 'We need to go back to camp. They're waiting for us,' he said and grabbed one of Athena's arms.

'But he's hurt!' the girl protested.

'I don't care,' he snapped. 'And neither should you.' Athena flinched at his words and not wanting to upset him any further, she obliged.

Following him unwillingly, the young woman threw a final worried look back at the unconscious man, who was lying hurt on a thin bed of moss and grass.

* * *

Night had fallen when Gohan woke up with a terrible head-ache. If it weren't for his incredibly fast healing abilities thanks to his Saiyan heritage, he'd probably be knocked out for at least three more days. He groaned as he tried to sit up straight, the throbbing pain in the back of his head telling him to lay back down and take it easy. His neck felt sticky and the back of his shirt felt weirdly damp to his back. He didn't have to see it was blood, as his keen sense of smell told him already, but he reached up his hand to the back of his head anyway to feel what damage had been done and immediately regretted doing so as he winced at the pain when he touched the wound. Looking around, then up to the sky, he saw that sparkling stars were decorating the dark sky, yet he was still out in the woods.

'_Oh no, Videl's gonna be furious with me!'_he thought and instantly took off to air, however not completely able to fly straight due to his head injury.

* * *

He stumbled through the door to his apartment and indeed found a fuming Videl waiting for him. However, when she saw the state he was in, the angry look on her face was immediately replaced by a worried one. She quickly ran over to him and held his face between her hands.

'What the hell happened to you?' she asked concerned.

'Honestly, I have no idea,' he answered. He really didn't know. One moment he was facing that mysterious woman and suddenly he was down and out.

Fortunately, the pain had already been reduced to a rather softly nagging one. All the blood made it look like he was about to die though.

'Come, let me clean you up,' Videl said and took him by his hand, leading him to the bathroom. She sat him down on the edge of the bath-tub and turned on the faucet to fill the tub with water.

'Take of your shirt', she said and Gohan willingly obliged.

'It looks worse than it is, really.'

'Shh, don't talk. Just relax,' Videl said softly and started to wash the blood out of his hair, then moved on to remove the blood from the back of his neck with a sponge.

Gohan closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm water on his skin. Videl made slow, massaging motions with the sponge on her lover's back and smiled at his expression. Gohan had lots of things on his mind, things he didn't, or just _couldn't_seem to tell her, but little moments like this made him seem to forget. He felt bad for having to keep his issues to himself when Videl told him everything when she was bothered with something. He just couldn't help having such difficulty opening himself up, but he knew Videl was a very patient woman. She was so caring, day after day. Always there to help him when he needed it, but he often refused, either too proud take her help or he'd refuse it pretending he didn't need it, like everything was okay even though it wasn't. He did feel sorry for acting that way and for pushing her away when all she did was offering her help, her love, devoting herself to him completely. He however, never really showed his appreciation for it.

'There, all done', Videl spoke softly, stopping with the hypnotizing, circling motions on Gohan's back.

She stood up, pulled out the stopper out of the tub and let the water that had mixed with blood flow away. She took a towel and dried off the wet skin from the demi-Saiyan. When she was finished, she started to the door of the bathroom, but a strong hand took hold of one of her wrists.

She turned around to face Gohan and saw a strange emotion in his eyes. Was it sadness? Distress? Desperation? She couldn't tell. He took her face in his firm and rather large hands and was amazed how tiny her face looked in his hands. She looked so, vulnerable, fragile, so _human_. Looking in the face of the woman who was dearest to him beside his mother, he tried desperately to form those three simple words, but he could never really say it, even though Videl said it to him so many times. Now, he tried with so much effort again to form those words, but failed yet again. It was as if every time he tried, he'd get tongue-tied. It was almost as if something was holding him back, as if something was preventing him to say it.

So instead, he tried to show her physically. He leaned down to gently kiss her on her lips, their lips only touching for two seconds.

'Thank you,' he murmured and brought his lips back to hers, while placing his hands on the sides of her waist. Videl broke the kiss to look in her lover's eyes. She was a little bewildered at Gohan's sudden display of affection. It was different this time, there was something desperate about it, expressing a kind of…need?

'You're welcome,' she responded, her voice as soft as a whisper. Now she was the one to initiate yet another kiss, letting her tongue graze Gohan's lower lip. He opened her mouth, allowing her to deepen the kiss. Their tongues moved around each other in a slow dance. Things heated up quickly and Gohan's aroused state did not go unnoticed by Videl, as she felt a certain hardness pressing against her abdomen. A soft moan escaped from her, but was muffled as it was absorbed by Gohan's mouth.

A loud knock on the door forced them to end their heated moment. Gohan groaned in disappointment. Videl looked at him with a questioning look, wondering who would stop by after midnight. Gohan started to head over to the door, but Videl stopped him in his tracks.

'I'll answer it. You're…indecent,' she said looking the man in front of her up and down and couldn't help but grin.

It took a second for Gohan to realise what she meant, and when he did, his cheeks flushed bright red, giving away his embarrassment.

'Stay here and, I don't know, calm down or something,' she said, still grinning and walked out of the bathroom.

Gohan tried to make his clearly visible arousal disappear by splashing some cold water in his face and imagining Mr. Roshi in tight panties. Yep, that definitely did the trick. Relieved, he walked over to his closet to put on a shirt and be presentable for whoever was visiting them at this time of day.

'Gohan!' Videl shouted, not minding about the neighbours hearing her at all. She didn't even try to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Gohan walked over to the hall.

'Do you know this woman?' Videl asked, her arms crossed and visibly irritated.

Gohan's mouth fell open, rather shocked as he saw the woman from the woods standing in the doorway. She smiled weakly at him and Gohan just stared at her, dumbfounded. _What the hell does she want from me?_

* * *

**A/N:** Should I warn for that kind of action happening between Gohan and Videl? I don't really feel like I should, 'cause it's not that bad. Also, I'm thinking about alternating from different points of views, so that it's less monotone, but IDK. I gave a little taste of it in this chapter. Would you guys like more of that? Lemme know.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I decided I will write in alternating point of views every now and then, for it allows me to give some insight on Athena as well, because I feel like if I keep her character a mystery for too long, it'll become annoying and it'll slow down the story too much.  
**

**Btw, I love reading reviews; they inspire me to write, so thank you for them and keep them coming!**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**4.**

Gohan's mouth fell open, rather shocked as he saw the woman from the woods standing in the doorway. She smiled weakly at him and Gohan just stared at her, dumbfounded. _What the hell does she want from me?_

At least she was wearing decent clothing now, normal and modern clothing that is. Or else Videl would flip out even more. Gohan quickly regained his composure, trying to look relaxed.

'Why are you here?' Gohan asked, attempting to stay calm. Videl's eyes darted from Gohan, to the woman and then back to Gohan.

'So you do know her?' Videl asked Gohan, suspecting something shady was going on between this woman and her guy, but Gohan shook his head.

'He does. We met in the woods earlier today,' the woman said matter-of-factly.

'Gohan, is there something you're not telling me?' Videl asked turning to look Gohan in his face, but couldn't find any signs of betrayal whatsoever. He looked rather calm to her.

'Could you leave us alone for a minute?' he asked, looking at his fiancée and when she gave him a hell-no look, he gave her a comforting smile, indicating it was okay.

Videl narrowed her eyes at him for a second, but then left him alone with the woman and went to the bedroom. As soon as Videl was out of earshot, Gohan turned to the woman who was still standing in the doorway.

'What do you want?' he said bluntly, wanting to get this over with.

'I came to apologise for what happened in the woods. My, ehm, partner can get a bit…overprotective at times,' she said, smiling apologetically.

Gohan watched her face carefully, looking for signs of any insincerity. She didn't look like a threat to him, but looks can be deceiving. Knowing that, he didn't let his guard down yet, especially after being nearly killed by her earlier that day.

'Who are you?' he said to this mysterious woman, frowning in confusion as well as in annoyance.

The woman was intent on not showing her own emotions and thoughts and struggled with keeping a poker-face. Inside though, she was just as confused as the man with spikey, black hair standing in front of her.

'You know what? I actually don't care. I just want you to stay away from me and my fiancée, you hear me?'

This time the woman couldn't conceal her inner thoughts, as Gohan's blunt behaviour startled her.

'What _happened_ to you?' the woman reached one of her hands up to touch his face.

'Excuse me?' Gohan asked.

As soon as her hand made contact with his face, she froze. Gohan quickly grabbed her wrist to remove her hand from the side of his face, breaking the touch. _What was up with this woman?_

* * *

Athena looked straight into the charcoal-coloured eyes of the man facing her, overwhelmed by the emotions that surged through her right away, even though the contact was brief. She quickly regained composure, not wanting him to suspect anything.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. This was a mistake,' she said and turned around in a whirl, leaving Gohan behind once again in complete confusion.

It was very disconcerting to her. In that short instant of what was merely a second of touching his face, she felt all of his inner turmoil; sorrow, grief, despair. So many mixed emotions. It was so _dark _and_ cold_, nothing like he had been when she had first met him. She realised something must have drastically changed.

* * *

Although Gohan didn't get his questions answered, he was rather relieved the woman was gone. Who was she to barge in like that and act all weird anyway? Sighing, he closed the door and went to the bedroom, where Videl sat on their bed, clearly frustrated at not knowing what was going on. But, in the short amount of time she had been waiting in the bedroom, she thought she had put the pieces together; Gohan had been growing more and more distant lately and his sudden display of affection made it pretty clear for her that he only did it to disguise something shady. Yes, he must be cheating on her, she thought. When Gohan entered the bedroom, she jumped up and moved over to him until their noses were almost touching.

'Who the hell was that woman, Gohan? Are you sneaking around with other women behind my back?'

'What? Of course not!' he said, almost offended by the false accusation.

She smacked him right across the face. 'Don't lie to me!'

Of course he could've easily dodged the blow, but he didn't, knowing it'd only upset her more. Besides, it didn't hurt him physically at all. Sure Videl was strong for a woman, for a human, but not strong enough to actually cause him physical damage or pain with bare hands.

'Videl, please. I already told you, I don't know her,' he answered, as ever, calmly.

In those five years she had known him, he had never lied to her, except for denying he was the Golden Warrior in the early stages of their relationship, but besides that, he didn't hide anything from her. _Or so she thought._ Realising that, she suddenly felt embarrassed for her exaggerated behaviour.

Gohan, however, did understand Videl's behaviour. Wouldn't any woman be suspicious when an attractive woman like that came knocking on their door? Yes, Gohan hated to admit it, but the amazon-like woman was gorgeous. But he was taken and he wasn't intent on breaking his commitment to Videl anytime soon and he knew Videl knew that.

* * *

Athena arrived back at the camp deep in the woods, after having quickly changed out of her normal clothes into her animal-skin ones.

Although it was now long past midnight, Athena couldn't sleep yet. She walked along the riverside, the grass tickling her feet as she placed them softly on the ground, while she was moving silently through the night. She sat down, let her feet dangle in the water and looked up, sighing at the beautiful, cloudless night sky, the scenery around her illuminated by the sparkling stars and the bright moon. She felt restless, thinking back to her encounters thus far with Gohan.

'_How come he has changed so dramatically? Maybe he really doesn't remember…'_ the thought saddened her. Maybe it was for the best then if she'd leave him alone, like he wanted her to. Besides, as far as she knew, the future held something completely different in prospect for her.

Strong hands lifted her up out of the water and made her stand on the soft and tickling grass again. She turned to see her furious partner standing behind her, the moonlight making him look rather menacing.

'Where have you been?' Nero asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

'Relax, I just went to roam around the city for a while.'

'Did you go see that man again?' When Athena didn't immediately answer him, Nero took her face in one of his huge hands, squeezing her cheeks, almost crushing her jaws.

She put her hands on his broad chest and pushed him away roughly, making him fall back a few feet.

'I'm still stronger than you,' Athena said in a calm but threatening kind of way before walking over to him and placing her foot flat on his chest while pressing it down, making it difficult for him to breathe. 'And don't you forget that.'

'It's only a matter of time before we can complete the ritual,' he reminded her with a self-satisfied smirk.

She averted his eyes away from him to stare off in the distance. He got up to stand behind her, placing his hands on her bare sides.

'Then you'll be mine forever,' Nero said and kissed the top of her head, making her shudder at the unwanted contact. 'Don't you forget _that_,' he said before leaving her alone in the darkness, returning to his tent.

Athena knew he was right. When Nero would turn 25 in less than two months, he would be a mature man in the standards the amazons held and he'd be ready to become her mate. The young woman dreaded for that moment to come, for she did not want to spend her life with him, but with someone she actually loved and wasn't forced to be with. However, she had no other choice; he was the only male in their tribe and therefore her only potential mate. And once the ritual was performed and they were united, there was no going back.

It made her reflect on why she joined the tribe years ago anyway. Wouldn't she be much happier if she'd run away? She'd be free from Nero and be able to live her life as she wanted. No, she couldn't do that. Not after all they had done for her.

When she was just a young girl, her parents were killed and as she had no other family left, she had no place to run to. So she fled and ran for miles and miles, until she eventually got lost in the woods, roaming around alone in the wilderness for days. She was at the brink of starvation when a few amazons crossed her path and took her with them to their tribe. The leader of the tribe, Persephone, was the strongest and wisest woman in the group at that time. She immediately saw there was something special about the girl and took her under her wing, raising her as if she was her own daughter and Athena was very grateful for that. She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the kindness and hospitality the amazons had shown her when she was just a helpless child.

However, at the age of 18 she realized she wanted more than to live in the forests for the rest of her life. So, during weekdays she'd go attend classes at college, while working as well. She had a hard time fitting in, but determination helped her pull herself through. As soon as she got her degree, she could get a stable job and found one at the new health department at Capsule Corp. Now she could enjoy whatever the city had to offer her as well as the tranquillity and beauty of nature whenever she went back to the woods during weekends. Her partner Nero however wasn't too happy with her decisions, as he wanted her to stay with him in the woods and make her his official mate as soon as possible, which he kept reminding Athena of, much to her aggravation.

Sighing she went back to her tent, trying to get some sleep before sunset.

* * *

Gohan woke groaning when his alarm-clock told him it was time to get up and go to work. Just like the previous nights for the past three weeks, he hadn't slept very well. During daytime he caught himself way too often thinking about the woman, whose name he still didn't know, and she'd even appear in his dreams. He slept alone for at least two days a week, since Videl's visits to the hospital became longer as well as more frequent. He noticed she was becoming somewhat distant, but he figured it was because of her concern about her ill father.

He got up to make himself breakfast and after having consumed in no time a meal that could feed about 3 people, he quickly hopped into the shower, enjoying the warm cascading water pouring down on his skin. He couldn't help but feeling slightly disappointed at the fact he hadn't seen the woman anymore ever since she had come knocking on his door about three weeks ago in the middle of the night. Even though she confused him every time they had encountered each other, he felt some weird kind of excitement when he saw her, it was somehow thrilling to him. He didn't know if it was because she was so mysterious, or if it was because she was...breathtakingly beautiful. He shook his head at that thought. Was he even allowed to think like that? He had never really talked about women with anyone, especially not with his father since that was way too awkward for him.

He had overheard a conversation between Vegeta and Bulma once though, back when he was younger and had to drop off Goten to play with Trunks. They were having an argument then. Bulma accused him of having cheated on her by sleeping with other women, though Gohan couldn't imagine someone would ever want to sleep with a man like him, as grumpy and bitter as he always was. To his surprise Vegeta hadn't denied it, saying that Saiyans had _different_ and more needs, as ever reminding her that he wasn't human. According to him, Saiyans naturally had a strong urge to sleep with as many women as possible, since they had the instinct to reproduce themselves as much possible. Just like animals did, Bulma made the comparison.

Gohan however hadn't ever really felt that certain urge Vegeta had been talking about, instead thinking he was more of a one woman man. But then again, he hadn't really met girls other than Videl, since he rarely went out and well, all of his co-workers at the physics department were male. Perhaps that's why he had never taken interest in other women.

It confused Gohan that he was even considering the possibility of him being interested in any other woman than Videl, the girl he'd been with since he was 18. It confused him, because, what did it say about him?

* * *

**A/N:** - I feel like I need to explain some things about the whole amazon-clan thing, since I don't think I can incorporate the whole background in the story, yet it is relevant to understand Athena's position, because (no offence) I don't think all of you know about the amazons. So here's a little background information. I have to say I don't know if it's true, because it's something I read by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus when I was in high school.

The amazons I based mine on are a group of horse-riding women who lived on the northern coast of the Black Sea about two thousand years ago, called the Sauromatai in ancient Greek. They were a nomadic folk, so they travelled between different areas. Their tribe consisted of only women. They impregnated themselves by seducing men whenever they encountered them. The Sauromatai were strong women; they were fighters and to make it easier for them to carry their arrows on their back, they burned of their right breast, so that it wouldn't get in the way of the strap that was attached to the cylinder carrying the arrows. Don't worry though, Athena still has both of her breasts, lol. I also changed it up a little bit by making Nero part of the tribe even though he's a male. It's kind of like with lions, where the majority of the pack consists of females. However, unlike with lions where the male is the head of the pride, in the amazon clan a woman (in this story Persephone) is the leader. Nero is there purely to become Athena's mate. It'll all become clear as you read the next chapters, don't worry :)

- I keep saying Golden Warrior for some reason, even though it's Golden Fighter, isn't it? I dunno, I'll keep it Warrior anyway, 'cause that sounds cooler.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Your reviews make me smile :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**5.**

_It confused Gohan that he was even considering the possibility of him being interested in any other woman than Videl, the girl he'd been with since he was 18. It confused him, because, what did it say about him?_

He arrived at work a little later than usual, because on his way to work, he had to stop some bank robbers as the Golden Warrior. He shook his head at the little event while walking through the doors to the lab. He just didn't understand why people would steal, for he thought stealing was the worst act one could perform. The worst crimes are a form of stealing; when you take away something, you steal something literally. When you commit adultery, you steal one's partner. And when you murder someone, you steal their life. Sure he has killed in his previous years when he fought beings that threatened the Earth, but he never did it for the mere purpose of killing. He did it to protect the ones he loved, he did it for the well-being and the safety of the Earth's inhabitants.

His father had always taught him to give your enemy the chance to think about his actions, to give him the opportunity to see that there _is_ another way, that he could always give up. His father had always been very forgiving, no matter how evil the villain was. He just simply couldn't believe one could be so evil that his sole purpose was to destroy, no, he always saw the good in every being, even if it wasn't even there. Because of that, he was also naïve. Still, his father had the purest heart of all persons Gohan had ever known. Often he wished he could be more like him, that he'd be more able to defend the innocent, the good and righteous among the people like his father had done all his life. But when the opportunity was there for Gohan to prove himself when the world was threatened by Buu, he failed, at least, that's how Gohan felt about himself. He didn't think he'd ever get over it.

The workday went by slowly for Gohan as he was working on one of his projects. He took his glasses off for a moment to wipe them clean and thought about Videl. He found it a little strange that she had been visiting her dad in the hospital on her own, never wanting Gohan to come along. She had falsely accused him of adultery a few weeks ago, but he never realised that perhaps, it was the other way around. Maybe _she_ was cheating on _him_? He found the thought of that rather unlikely, for he could have easily picked up the scent from another man on her. Yes, he would definitely know if she was betraying him. But still, he couldn't help finding that the whole situation appeared somewhat suspicious to him.

Thus, when the workday was over, he decided he would stop by the hospital and see if Mr. Satan was indeed checked in. He hated that he was feeling suspicious of his wife, but he just had to know. Luckily for him, Videl wouldn't know about his little trip to the hospital, since she'd be at a different department in the hospital, working as a paediatrician.

* * *

It was about 05.30 p.m. when Gohan entered the hospital. Even though hospitals are supposed to be clean and sterile, he could easily smell blood and urine and just the scent of sick people in general, due to his keen Saiyan sense of smell. It was nauseating to him, but he needed to get this done.

He walked over to the reception, where a blond woman sat behind a desk in a cubicle, a headphone on her head. She was inspecting her perfectly polished red nails when Gohan came up to her. Gohan cleared his throat to get her attention and when the woman saw the handsome young man standing patiently on the other side of her desk, she forgot all about her neatly manicured nails and turned her attention towards him.

"Good afternoon sir, what can I do for you?" she asked smiling at him, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.

"Hi, I was wondering if Mr. Satan has been checked in a few weeks ago," Gohan said.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not allowed to tell you that. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him, making it even for Gohan who was normally oblivious to such things obvious that she was trying to flirt with him.

A faint blush crept on his cheeks when he picked up a distinct scent from her, the scent of an aroused woman. He still didn't understand how he could have that kind of effect on women; he had never been aware of his own attractiveness. While his human side reminded him he was taken and told him he had to ignore this woman's attempts to seduce him, his Saiyan side told him to take this opportunity to manipulate her to get to his goal. He casted a quick glance at her hands, seeing she wasn't wearing a ring indicating she was married whatsoever. An easy target.

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice.

'Listen, how about I give you my number, and you tell me if he's here or not,' he said, a seductive smile forming on his lips.

The woman all too eagerly obliged, quickly looking in her computer's system to see where Mr. Satan was situated.

"He's on the third floor, section M, room 13."

"Thank you, miss," Gohan said smiling again at the receptionist, who was nearly drooling. He quickly scrabbled down a false number on a piece of paper she had just handed him and gave it back to her, before heading towards the stairs to get to Mr. Satan.

While a small part of him felt guilty, he was more surprised to feel it didn't feel completely wrong, that he almost felt a little…_proud_ at his little accomplishment.

He arrived at Mr. Satan's room soon, but saw that a guard was standing outside, blocking the door. He walked over to the guard and readjusting his glasses, then cleared his throat.

'Excuse me sir, I'm here to visit Mr. Satan,' he said.

'I'm sorry sir, no visitors are allowed except for his own daughter,' the guard responded bluntly.

Gohan took off his glasses and shot him a menacing glare, the same look he used to frighten his opponents when in battle, making use of his Saiyan side yet again. He felt a little bad when he smelled fear oozing from the man, but he needed to get out of his way and he did, granting Gohan access. He put his glasses back on and now smiled gratefully at him.

He entered the room to see his future father-in-law lying in a bed, attached to all kinds of machines, a steady beep signalling his heart-beat. Gohan frowned at the man who had stolen his credit for defeating Cell twelve years ago.

"_So Videl wasn't lying about her father being ill after all,"_ he thought and immediately felt guilty about having questioned his fiancée's honesty.

But still, he really didn't see what the big deal was, he didn't see why Videl didn't want Gohan to come along whenever she visited him. The man was unconscious, so he wouldn't even know. But he guessed he just had to respect her choice, for Videl respected Gohan whenever he didn't want to talk about something that bothered him. Sure, Videl pressed him for answers for as long as Gohan would tolerate, but he'd usually shut himself completely down and she'd leave him be, knowing that her attempts to get answers would be in vain.

"_Maybe Videl just wants to be alone with her father and cherish the last moments she can spend with him, even though her father isn't aware of her presence,"_ he thought. He would do so if he knew his father was going to die defending Earth.

He scratched the back of his head, feeling a little foolish and helpless. He decided he should go home, since Videl would soon finish her last shift and head home as well and he didn't want her to find out he had been to the hospital; he didn't want her to know he thought she had been lying.

* * *

Another week had passed by and Athena was at work at the health department at CC. She liked her work that's for sure, because she felt useful doing all the medical research and developing cures for diseases. She had really wanted this job and she was so happy when she got it, but something different had been bothering her mind for the past few weeks now.

She had been so excited when she had finally found Gohan after all those years, but he was so different now and it confused her. She was also feeling rather anxious about Nero's 25th birthday coming up, meaning he would become her official mate soon. She didn't fully know what to expect, since she didn't know the entire story behind the ritual and how it would have to be completed. She made a mental note to talk about it with Persephone when she'd go back to the woods in the weekend. Luckily she had something to look forward to as well; she would be participating in the finale of the martials arts tournament that was going to take place the upcoming Saturday. She smiled at the prospect, for she loved fighting, being in her element.

* * *

"Good morning sunshine," Videl woke Gohan with a soft kiss on his cheek.

He pretended he didn't hear her, wanting to go back to sleep, since it was Saturday, meaning he had the day off.

"Wake up sleepy head, were going to be late!" Videl poked him in his sides.

He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Videl and was surprised to see her dressed up in the outfit she'd always wear when she went fighting.

"Why are you dressed like that?" he asked and looked quizzically at her.

"What do you mean 'why'? Today's the finals in the martial arts tournament, silly! Did you forget?"

He face-palmed. He had forgotten about that. He himself and the other Z-fighters didn't participate anymore, for the humans were no match for them and they wanted to give the other contestants a chance.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Videl scowled at him. "Yes, I have to do this. I have to defend my title…and my father's honour." She had been the reigning champion in the women's division for the past five years.

Gohan rolled his eyes at her last comment. She almost sounded like Vegeta.

"But you haven't trained in quite a while," he reminded her.

"I know, but I can still hold my own. Don't you worry about that," she said smiling at him.

He scratched the back of his head. Videl could be…stubborn to say at least. "I guess if you say so…"

"Why, mr. Son, do you question my fighting abilities?"

"What? No, no of course not!" he said and nervously laughed, throwing his hands up in defence.

"Maybe I should remind you of what I'm capable of," she said smirking before jumping unto the bed and unto him, straddling him with her hips.

His Saiyan side didn't like being dominated by a woman like that, but often his human side would suppress the urge to take control. However, his time his Saiyan side refused being suppressed, and so he quickly rolled them over so that he was on top, pressing her down in the mattress with his body-weight.

Videl gasped at the sudden change of roles. The man hovering above her smirked at the surprised expression on her face.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Videl exclaimed, placing her hands on her lover's muscular chest, wanting to push him back, but to no avail.

"You should know when you're outmatched," he replied, smiling playfully. Videl in return scowled at that comment and used more force to push him off, much to Gohan's amusement.

He kissed her hard on the lips, to make her stop protesting and soon, she surrendered.

* * *

Athena felt nervous excitement flowing through her veins as she was getting ready in the dressing room for the match. The first time she'd been here had been a few months ago, when she attended the qualifying rounds that had taken place in the summer. The audience and the other contestants had laughed at her at first, making fun of her amazon warrior outfit. But soon she proved herself, defeating every single opponent with ease until she got to the finals and the audience had grown to actually like her. Especially the men.

She was glad she had made it to the finals, curious about this Videl-girl everyone always talked about and who she was going to have to fight, since Videl had been the reigning champion in the women's division. Athena had heard a lot about her, how strong and skilled she was in martial arts, but she had never seen her.

She took her bandana and caressed the woven material. It was her favourite; she had gotten it from Aurora when she turned 21, the age that marked an amazon as a full-grown woman. Aurora was Persephone's only, biological daughter and she was like a sister to Athena. She was three years younger than Athena and like her mother Persephone, Aurora was exceptionally smart and understanding. Athena got along with her from the moment she joined the amazon clan. She smiled at the thought of Aurora; she was so fond of her and loved her to death. Thinking about her, made Athena even more determined to win, wanting to make Aurora proud, for she knew she looked up to her.

A knock on the door of her dressing room indicated she had to get to the ring, for the match was about to begin. She quickly wrapped the bandana around her head, took a deep breath and headed outdoors. She was ready to face her opponent.

* * *

Gohan was seated in the VIP-section closely to the ring between Krillin and Yamcha, who had come to support Videl as well. Videl was already standing in the ring, doing some stretching. People were cheering excitedly, chanting her name loudly.

"You're lucky to have such a bad-ass girl, Gohan, you must be very proud of her," Yamcha said.

Gohan looked at his friend and nodded smiling.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the finale of the women's division of the 42nd martial arts tournament! In the left corner we have our beloved Videl, reigning champion and daughter of the one and only Mr. Satan, our hero. Please give it up for the one and only Videl Satan!"

The crowd went wild and it took some time before they got quiet enough for the announcer to name Videl's opponent.

"On the other side of the ring, we have a woman who's come a long way, making it through all the rounds to the final and proving herself to be a worthy opponent. She will be challenging Videl, let's make some noise for the warrior princess, Athena!"

The sound of a huge applause was heard in the arena as the amazon came in view. The whole crowd seemed to be in awe of her appearance, as she stepped gracefully into the ring.

"_You've _got_ to be kidding me,"_ Gohan thought and his mouth fell open when he saw the other woman in the ring, facing his fiancée.

While part of him was strangely excited to see the amazon once again, he dreaded the fight that was about to take place between his lover and the woman who he had secretly been hoping he'd see again.

* * *

**A/N:** Uh-oh, bitch fight. Who do you think will win? Place your bets!

**Darkvoid116** I got you some double quotation marks ;)

By the way people, I will stay updating regularly, but I'm not sure if I'm able to update as often as I have done this week, for my study requires my attention. I will still try to post a new chapter at least once or twice a week, though, don't worry.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm trying to get you guys to like Athena. Do you guys like her? I know I like her, I think she's fierce.**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**6.**

Athena eyed the woman who was standing in a fighting stance before her, taking in her physique; she was quite a bit shorter than her and had jet-black hair cut short.

Though Videl didn't seem to recognise the woman standing in front of her, Athena certainly did recognise her opponent as Gohan's fiancée and couldn't help finding it a little amusing. _Gohan was with the most famous girl in town._ Apparently her amusement aggravated her opponent, as Videl scowled even deeper at her and launched herself at Athena.

Athena swiftly dodged the attack and countered by performing a 360 spinning kick, hitting the side of Videl's face with her right foot. As Videl fell to the ground, the crowd gasped loudly. However, taking a few seconds to recover herself, she got back up on her feet. She wiped the side of her mouth, that was stained with some blood.

Athena resumed standing still, waiting for Videl's next move. Videl glowered at the amazon, but it didn't affect her in any way. It wasn't just the fact that she had just been kicked in the face in front of hundreds of people that made Videl angry, no, there was much more to it. Athena could see it in her eyes, but she couldn't quite grasp it. She saw a lot of determination in them as well, which she admired.

Videl ran towards her opponent and attempted to cause damage by performing a roundhouse kick, but Athena lifted her own leg to block the attack.

The crowd seemed to cheer for the both of them equally. While half of them wanted their own Videl to win and remain champion, the other half seemed to be in favour of the newcomer.

* * *

Gohan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After thirty minutes the fight still wasn't over. He knew Videl was giving it her all; he could easily see it, but he could sense it as well, reading her ki. In the beginning of the fight it had been maximized, but it grew weaker and weaker as Videl started to grow tired. The fight was dragging on too long for her and it looked as if she was about to lose any second. However, no one seemed to notice but Gohan. What really threw him off though was when he tried to read Athena's ki; he couldn't. It wasn't that there wasn't any ki at all, like with dead people, but he just couldn't sense it, nor read it. It was then that he realised something fishy was going on. He looked around him and saw that everyone was enjoying the match. To them, it looked like the women were each other equals, that either one of them could win. Gohan however knew they were wrong.

And then, all of the sudden, the fight was over. Everyone stood up to see what had happened, to see who had won the match. Everyone wanted to know if Videl would continue to be the reigning champion or if the warrior princess would take home the title. The referee had entered the ring to take Videl's left hand in his right while taking Athena's right hand in his other. He was dragging on the suspense, waiting for a full ten second before lifting one of the contestant's hands, indicating that she was the winner of the competition and that she'd be going home with the title.

Then, everyone burst out into cheering and clapping, some even jumping out of happiness, to praise Videl Satan, the young woman who had managed to hold her title and keep her father's honour intact.

The announcer made it official and soon the press entered the ring and twenty different journalists started attacking Videl with questions, holding their microphones close to her mouth. While lots of commotion was going on and the crowd was celebrating, Gohan had kept his eyes on Athena, who he saw returning to the dressing room. Seeing that Videl would be busied by all the journalists for at least half an hour, he took the opportunity to sneak to the dressing rooms and get to Athena.

* * *

The door to her dressing room was open and he found the woman sitting on a bench. She looked up to see who was standing in the doorway, but when she saw it was Gohan, she resumed to gaze at the floor.

"She's a strong woman, Gohan," she said. "You must be proud of her," she looked up to smile at him, but only doing weakly so. Gohan only nodded, silently and softly.

Gohan now walked into the small room, closing the door behind him. Athena looked up at him quizzically as he cleared his throat.

"Why did you let her win?" he asked.

"I don't know what you mean," she answered and averted her eyes away from him.

"Don't lie, I saw that you were holding back – a lot," he responded and knelt down to level his eyes with hers.

Athena shrugged and played with the frayed edge of her little skirt made out of animal skin.

"I know you could've defeated her in one blow, but you didn't. Why?" he continued probing her for answers.

She now moved her right hand to the golden snake-shaped bracelet on her left wrist and let her fingers trace the curves of the snake. Gohan sighed when he got no response and stood up, heading towards the door.

"I wanted to win, you know. But I couldn't," Athena said, still focusing her eyes on her bracelet.

"What do you mean, you 'couldn't'? You outmatched her by far," he said, turning back to face her.

Now it was Athena's turn to sigh. She took off her bandana to run a hand through her long locks of brown, wavy hair.

"It was in her eyes, Gohan. I _wanted_ to win, but she _needed_ to win. So…I let her."

Gohan frowned hearing this statement. He didn't know many people who didn't do what they actually wanted to do, who were selfless like she was. It somehow reminded him of his father, the most selfless person he'd ever known. He nodded to show he understood, turned around to head for the door once more, but faced Athena again when an idea came to his mind.

He bit his lower lip, pushed his glasses up his nose and stuck his hands into his pockets, thinking how he should phrase his next question. Athena looked up at him, wondering why he didn't just leave.

"You know…I was thinking, maybe…would you like to spar with me some time?" He asked and cast a nervous glance at Athena.

"Uhm, sure, but…why?"

He smiled at her. "Like I said, I know you were holding back and I'm curious to see just how strong you are. We can have a little sparring session in the woods tomorrow if you like, it'll be fun!" he beamed at her.

Athena returned the smile. "Yes, I'd love that actually."

"So where we'll we meet?"

Athena tapped her index-finger against her chin in thought. "How about we meet at the waterfall in the woods? Say, around noon?"

"Sounds great! I'll see you tomorrow then," Gohan said and gave a little wave before heading out of the dressing room.

* * *

Night had fallen and Athena sat on a big rock, gazing at the stars. When she had come back to the forest earlier today, she had found an excited Aurora waiting for her to return. Athena had not wanted to let her sister down and she felt somewhat nervous to tell her she had lost the match. However, when she did, Aurora wasn't even disappointed whatsoever, no, she was understanding, knowing her big sister wasn't one to be selfish.

She sighed heavily, tired, more mentally so than physically. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of light footsteps coming from behind towards her. She didn't have to look at the person to see who it was. The figure of a lean-built woman emerged out of the darkness to sit next to Athena on the large boulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before the woman spoke.

"What is it, my child? I've noticed you've been rather restless for the last few days," the woman spoke.

Athena looked at the woman who had saved her years ago and taken her as her own child, Persephone. Of course her worried state of mind hadn't escaped Persephone's notice, as she was ever perceptive of what goes on around her. When Athena didn't answer her, the older woman brought a hand up to make contact with her face and instantly felt the different emotions that ran through Athena.

"You're…scared?" Persephone asked surprised. Athena was rarely scared, being the brave and strong woman she is.

Athena averted her eyes from Persephone to look back at the stars again. A moment of silence passed between them.

"Is it Nero?"

Athena looked back again at the woman and shook her head. "No, mother, I do not fear him, but I fear what will happen after the ritual has been completed. I don't know what he'll do when he is like me," she answered, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Do not worry, my dear, for the gods are always right. We should not and cannot question fate," Persephone answered.

"But…I'm not sure if I can do it, mother," Athena replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I…I don't love him," Athena said.

"My child, you know our people do not love men. We are a female warrior's race, we do not need men, except for us to reproduce. I've told you many times, haven't I?" Persephone spoke.

Athena nodded, but had to fight to hold back a sigh that would give away her frustration. Though Persephone was a very wise woman, Athena found her at times a little shallow, because Persephone did not understand the concept of loving a man. She couldn't blame her for it though; it was what all she knew. She, like the other amazons, had grown up without a father, without a brother, without a lover.

"Go to sleep Athena, you need to be strong and well-rested for the ritual." Persephone got up and left Athena alone in the darkness.

* * *

The next day Gohan stood waiting for Athena, standing near the bank of the river in which the waterfall cascaded. He looked up when he saw a figure standing on a rock at the top of the waterfall. He recognised the figure as Athena and swallowed hard when he took in her image. She had her hair in two braids and was wearing once again the pieces of some kind of animal skin. The way the sunlight hit her made her look like some kind of divine warrior princess. When she spotted Gohan below, she jumped down from rock to rock in seconds, taking leaps of a few feet at once to get down fast. Gohan watched her move gracefully, amazed by how easy she made it look to climb down those slippery and wet rocks.

When her feet touched the ground, she ran up to him and smiled cheerfully. Gohan however, fiddled with his thumbs nervously.

"Do you have to be dressed like that?" he asked, the look on his face showing he was uncomfortable with the woman being scarcely clad.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"Well…don't you have something else, something more…appropriate?"

The girl in front of him looked down at her outfit, then back at him and shrugged.

"This is comfy," she simply stated.

"But, it's…distracting," he admitted and his face flushed red when he did so. He had a hard time focusing on the woman's face rather than on the patches of her bare skin. It was pretty clear she had no confidence issues whatsoever with her body, alright.

Athena realised what he meant now and laughed at his expression.

"You're looking at human nature, Gohan, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Come, let's get started," she said and immediately flung herself at Gohan, trying to land a punch.

He dodged the attack just in time, surprised at how fast she was. She performed a flying spin hook kick and hit him right in the head, causing him to lose balance and fall back. He clutched the side of his face with his hand, surprised that the kick actually caused him pain. Athena looked at the man lying in front of her and frowned at him.

"Geez, you're really fast," Gohan said and stood up, dusting hi dark-blue gi off.

Athena smirked at him. "Well, you said you wanted to see me not hold back."

She threw herself at Gohan again, moving her arms and legs at a speed that made it even for him hard to follow. Even though he was able to block most of the punches and kicks, he could easily feel the force that was put into them. This girl was _strong_.

"_Focus, Gohan,"_ he thought to himself as he looked at the woman intently, trying to calculate her next move.

She lifted her leg to perform a high-kick to his face, but he caught her leg and used her own movement to get her off balance. She fell back on the grass, pulling Gohan with her, causing him to fall on top of her.

Their faces were only inches apart and Gohan could see every detail of her face clearly. He looked at those large blue-green eyes of her, almost drowning in them. Suddenly, all the pieces fell together. Those long brown braids, those eyes, this river; a quick flashback played before his eyes and it all became clear.

He had met this girl at this very spot twelve years ago.

An incredulous look crossed Gohan's face when he finally recognised the girl. How come he hadn't noticed much earlier?

"Lime?"

* * *

A/N: Okay I'm like scared you guys are going to be angry with me. I'll probably have some explaining to do, but I'll do it after the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'd like to apologise in advance if there are a lot of grammar or spelling mistakes in this chapter; I wrote this when I was rather tired and kind of in a hurry (to go to bed that is). Nonetheless, enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**7.**

The young woman pushed Gohan off her gently so that she could get up. She walked about 10 feet away from him, facing away from the black-haired demi-Saiyan. Gohan quickly got up as well and moved over to her. He brought his nose close to her neck and sniffed her, taking in her unique scent. How come he hadn't even recognised her scent? Were his Saiyan senses becoming weaker? No, that can't be, they only grew stronger as he was getting older.

"It really is you, Lime, isn't it?" he asked incredulously.

She whirled around to face him and had an odd expression on her face.

"No, Lime is no more. That life is over," she said bluntly. So many different questions were running through Gohan's head that he didn't know which one to ask first. A few inaudible syllables escaped from his mouth before he could form a sentence.

"I don't understand," he said, a frown crossing his face.

The young woman started to untie her braids to comb through her silky hair with her fingers. Then she started to pace back and forth, before sitting down and letting her fingers play with the grass. Gohan cleared his throat as he was growing impatient.

"Would you please tell me what's going on?" he asked, slightly frustrated and confused.

She sighed and ran a hand through her wavy hair. "You might want to sit down, because it's kind of a long story." He did what she said and sat down in front of her, making sure there was enough space between them so that they were both comfortable.

The girl told him what had happened after the Z-warriors had wished the victims of Cell back. They had thought they could lead a happy and peaceful life now, until a group of thieves came into the shop her parents owned and killed them before her own eyes, while she hid behind a shelf. Her grandfather had tried to take them on, but as he was only human, he didn't survive the bullet wounds he received from the thieves that shot him. So she had ran away, not even knowing where she was going, until the group of amazons had found her.

Gohan could barely believe what he heard. This girl had seen both her parents and her grandfather get killed right in front of her, yet she seemed so strong, mentally as well as physically.

He nodded to show he understood. He thought about his next question, wondering if it might be insensitive to ask since she just told her about her dead parents, but he did it anyway, curiosity taking over.

"But how did you become so strong? Last time I saw you, you were just a little girl. And why the name change?"

The brown-haired woman looked at him and smiled a little. Yes, it indeed has been a long time since they had last seen each other.

"The first few days I spent with the amazons, I didn't say a word. I didn't even tell them my name. I refused to speak and was completely silent and instead just observed everything they did. I saw how strong all these women were and it made me feel…weak, you know. If only I had been as strong and skilled in fighting as they were, I could have defended my parents and grandfather against those monsters..." the girl paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Seeing these strong and independent women made me determined to become one of them. Their leader, Persephone, took me under her and wing and taught me everything she knew; how to fight, how to hunt, even how to communicate with Mother nature. Being with them for years now made me open my eyes and made me see the beauty of a simple life, surrounded by all that nature provides."

Gohan nodded understandingly and silently, absorbing all the information. The girl went silent for a moment and played with the grass again before continuing.

"She told me she saw some kind of a sparkle in me, some kind of potential and that it amazed her how fast a learner I was and how easily I became skilled in the arts of fighting and hunting, something that took the other girls years and years of practice. She then named me after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of war, arts and wisdom. She found the name fitting for me and I just went with it, because I thought it sounded pretty cool," she looked up to look at Gohan and grinned, but her smile faded when she saw the confused expression on the young man's face.

"Athena, huh?" he pronounced the name carefully, as if testing the sound of it.

"But…why didn't you just tell me it was you, back at the masquerade ball and when you showed up at my door?" he asked, looking at her with a frown.

"Because…everything's different now, Gohan. Things have changed and so have you. I noticed it right away and it scared me, to be honest. You're like a different person now. How come?"

Gohan shifted his weight uncomfortably. He didn't want the conversation to go in this direction. He didn't want her to probe him about his past. No, his past was something he'd have to deal with alone. People wouldn't understand anyway. They'd probably pity him and he hated when people did that, for it made him feel weak. That's why he liked Picollo so much; he never pitied him.

Gohan shook his head and stood up, deciding that the conversation was over between the two. He dusted off his gi pants and straightened himself. He walked along the riverbank, a thoughtful look spread on his face.

The brown-haired woman quickly stood up as well and moved towards him to walk beside him. She looked intently at him, searching his eyes.

"You're not mad at me are you?" she asked nervously.

Gohan thought about that question for a few seconds. Was he mad? No. Confused? Yes.

He shook his head, at which the young woman sighed in relief.

"I figured you of all people would understand. I mean, you've got a secret identity as well," she said and gave him a little wink.

Gohan looked back at her, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Oh come on Gohan, you work as a scientist during the day and you're a superhero as well, rescuing the town as the Golden Warrior," she said almost mockingly.

He decided he wasn't even going to try to deny it and just shrugged.

"Don't you think it's horribly cliché though? With your glasses and all to 'hide' your identity?" she teased him and bit her lower lip to hold back her smile.

Gohan blushed at this. Was it really a cliché? No one had ever told him that.

"Relax, I was just kidding. Just a little though," she said and playfully pushed him. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, a questioning look on his handsome face.

"What?"

"Well…I don't know how I should call you now," he responded, tapping his chin in thought with his index finger.

She smiled at him. "Athena, please."

* * *

The next day Gohan went to work happily. He was glad he finally knew who the woman was. Yes, it was a little weird and surprising and all, but he wasn't as stressed as he had been before when the identity of the woman was still hidden from him. It was relieving to know she was just a friend from his childhood, but it still bothered him that she knew something about him has changed, that she knew it the instant she had seen him while all of his other friends and his family hadn't noticed. He figured he'd just have to not let her come too close, before she'd see his true emotions and reveal what he's been hiding behind his mask.

The work day went by pretty quickly and Gohan found himself sitting on a chair in the kitchen. He had his shirt off and his right arm lying on the table before him, the palm of his hand facing up. Videl was preparing a needle, a tube and a blood bag to drain some of his blood. He wasn't very fond of the idea of Videl cheating at her job by using his Saiyan blood to heal sick children, but if it meant he could save lives with it, he didn't have to think twice about donating his blood to those who needed it. A small amount of his blood could heal a kid in no time. His blood was weaker than Vegeta's though, since he was only half Saiyan, but still his blood could have a tremendous effect when injected in a human. Of course no one in the hospital knew about Videl's little trick to save fragile human lives.

Videl put the needle in a swollen vein in his arm and the scarlet coloured fluid flowed through the tube into the blood bag. She looked up at Gohan and smiled at him.

She went to stand behind him and put her hands on his shoulders, starting to knead the strong muscles and Gohan instantly relaxed under her massaging touch. He closed his eyes and leaned back. Videl placed a kiss on the top of his head before taking the needle out of his arm, as the blood bag had been filled.

He opened his eyes to see Videl who had taken out the needle out of his arm and who looked at the little streamlet of blood flowing out of the tiny puncture hole, gliding down his skin. To his surprise, he saw Videl bend down and lick the blood, moving her mouth closer to the punctured opening to suck the blood straight out of the source. His eyes widened in shock, since she had never done that before. Gohan's sensitive nose picked up a scent that was a little masked by the fragrance of his own blood, but it was still distinct.

"_She's into that?" _ he thought incredulously. He couldn't help finding the image of the black-haired woman sucking his blood somewhat arousing, and he could tell by the scent that was oozing out of Videl that she was aroused as well. She looked up at him with her crystal clear blue eyes and smirked at the surprised expression of the man.

She released her mouth from his arm and went to sit on his lap, straddling him with her hips. Gohan swallowed hard, the look in Videl's eyes were new to him. She looked _hungry_, her eyes bright yet dark through desire and even almost animalistic. Was this the effect his blood had on humans? He'd never seen it before. There was no time for him to think about it, because Videl smashed her lips against Gohan's.

Gohan felt her tongue graze his lower lip, wanting to access his mouth. He opened his mouth to let her tongue enter and her tongue attacked his, their wet muscles engaging in a battle for dominance. He could taste his own blood and it tasted just like human's, but stronger and somehow sweeter. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him deeper into the kiss. He wrapped his strong arms around her tiny waist and held her tight, close to his own body. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin, tickling his senses even further. Suddenly she started to grind her hips onto his groin.

Gohan pulled away from the kiss and gasped at Videl's demeanour, bewildered by her rather aggressive behaviour. She had always been the more aggressive one in bed; she was also the one who usually started it, for Gohan didn't really dare to as he was still somewhat shy about it, even though they had been together for five years now. Moreover, he could easily break her if he wasn't careful with her tiny, fragile human body, so he'd rather not initiate things like this, afraid he wouldn't be able to restrain his more aggressive and dominant Saiyan side. The human in him would always help him to control himself, but it was still hard for him to do so. So he'd usually let Videl gain dominance, though his Saiyan side would always scream at him to take over control.

Videl gave him a naughty smile and placed one of her small hands on his member that had begun to harden a bit. Okay, she had never been _this_ forward.

He gulped and quickly lifter her from his lap, placing her on the floor to get a glass of water, wanting to take a break.

He never made it to the sink though, as a small body pushed him into the wall roughly. He looked down in surprise to see a smirking Videl gazing up to him, her eyes filled with lust and desire, more so than he had ever seen before. Apparently his blood didn't just have healing and strengthening powers, but it also had an arousing effect on the one who ingested it. She placed a kiss on his lips, before moving down to his jawline, travelling further down to the base of his neck and nipped his skin there. Gohan closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasurable touches of the raven-haired woman. Videl moved down even further, trailing kisses down his perfectly chiselled abdomen, until she reached his leather belt. It took a lot of effort for Gohan to stop the girl, but he did anyway.

"How about we slow it down a little?" he asked, his voice a little husky.

Videl shook her head with a dirty smile on her face and started to undo his belt, kneeling in front of him, but strong hands stopped her from reaching her goal.

"Videl…" he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

She looked at him questioningly. Then she stood back up on her feet again to kiss him hard, before placing her index finger on the bottom of his lower jaw, pulling his face towards hers once more. She moved her mouth near his ear, her warm breath tickling his sensitive skin.

"I want to fuck you," she whispered in a hoarse voice.

Gohan frowned at his, though he had to admit it did arouse him a little more. However, this sudden change in Videl's behaviour bothered him. She had never been this straight forward, nor had she ever used foul language. He took her face in his large hands and looked at her intently. Her blue eyes were just blazing with sexual desire, but to him they seemed rather glassy as well, as if she was drugged. He realised then that it most definitely was his blood that made her act like this. Though his body longed to be touched more, especially a certain part of him, his mind told him to stop it right then and there.

He sighed and let her go, pushing her aside gently to walk over to the sink and fill a glass with water. he caught the image of Videl from the corner of his eyes, who had taken off her shirt and bra, and stood there topless, trying to get his attention. Every man in the world would have probably jumped her right there, but Gohan found it rather frustrating; He just really didn't like the idea of what his blood did to her. It was practically like a drug to her, and he wasn't one to take advantage of a woman who was drugged.

He walked over to scoop her up and went to the bedroom, dropping her on the bed carefully.

"That's more like it," Videl said and grinned at him mischievously.

However, Gohan walked out of the bedroom, leaving her there on her own and making sure the door was locked. He didn't want her to go out when she was in this state, for she might do something stupid. He took his laptop under his arm and went to sit at the kitchen table, planning to do some extra work.

It didn't take long before his ears picked up the sound of Videl who was moaning loudly in the bedroom. He could even smell the scent of her arousal even though they were in separate rooms. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was pleasuring herself. She was giving him an incredibly hard time to restrain himself from joining her. Gohan sighed exasperatedly and lowered his forehead to the table, slamming it softly a few times.

If his blood sent her in a state of sexual frenzy every single time, then he'd make sure she'd never have it again.

* * *

**A/N: I suuuuck at writing cliffhangers, so my apologies.  
**

Anyway, now that you guys know that Athena = Lime, I'll do some explaining.

When I first started this story, I had planned on making Lime come back into Gohan's life as some kind of fierce, warrior princess out of the woods. But I wanted to do one with an OC as well, so I created Athena. But then, as I was progressing with the story, I had come to like Athena more and more, so I wanted to keep her. I realised I couldn't write to separate stories in which the female main characters are both amazon like warriors. So I decided to combine the two of them into one character, though I'd much rather kept Athena as a character of her own. However, I had this whole 'she knows him from her childhood thing blabla' going on and I had already put in the summary that an old friend would come back and I did mean for it to be Lime all along. So, yeah, this was my 'solution' and though I myself are not that excited about it, I do hope you guys are at least okay with it.

I will continue to write the story with her as Athena, because, as you know, her life as Lime is over ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**8.**

Gohan sat behind his desk at work, looking through some random files. He could barely keep his eyes open as he hadn't got a wink of sleep the night before. He put off his glasses, laying them down on the desk and rubbed his eyes. Last night was just _crazy_.

Videl had soon enough found out that she could easily break through the bed room door, now that she had gotten stronger by consuming Gohan's blood. She was stark naked and her fluid was dripping down the insides of her upper legs. The scent of her arousal almost smothered Gohan. However, he didn't found it arousing whatsoever anymore, but rather frustrating. Every man would've said he was crazy for not giving in, but Gohan's Saiyan side actually _refused_ to give in. In Saiyan culture it was the man who'd chase after the woman, not the other way around.

She had kept trying to seduce him, but after an hour of playing cat and mouse, he had brought her back to the bedroom and used ki restraints to keep her pinned down until she calmed down. She had screamed a lot until she was too tired and when Gohan headed out of his apartment this morning, his neighbour gave him a strange look, probably having heard Videl's screams.

Gohan shook his head at the memory and took a sip of his tea when someone knocked on the door of his office.

"Come in," he said tiredly before putting his glasses back on.

Bulma walked in, a happy smile plastered on her face.

"Hey Gohan, how have – what the _hell_ happened to you?" she said surprised to see the demi Saiyan look so exhausted.

"Nothing, just had a long night," he said and a yawn escaped from his throat.

"I see," Bulma answered and chuckled.

Gohan looked at the blue-haired woman, not knowing how what he just said was funny. It took a moment for him to realise why she had laughed and when he did, a shade of red flushed his cheeks.

"No, no! Not like that!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him.

"Well…" he started, then paused.

Was he really going to talk about this with a woman almost twice his age and who happened to be the first female friend of his father? He knew he actually couldn't talk about what happened last night with anyone else, as she was the only one who was with a Saiyan and therefore the only one who could answer his questions. Well…his mother maybe could as well, but there was no way he'd talk about his sex life with his own mother. That would be way too awkward for him to handle. Heck, this was awkward enough!

He glanced at the woman standing on the other side of his desk, smiling nervously, and cleared his throat before he started to talk.

"Have you ever…when you…uhm…" he scratched the back of his head nervously, then pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Do you happen to know the full effects of Saiyan blood on a human?" he asked and cast his eyes down shyly.

Bulma cocked her head to the side, a smirk forming on her lips.

"You and Videl have been experimenting, huh?" she asked, making Gohan once blush again. He tugged on his tie, for he felt suddenly hot and uncomfortable.

"It depends on how much is ingested. How many drops did she take?" she asked.

'_Drops?' _ he thought. How many had she taken? Like, a hundred?

He shrugged and looked back at Bulma. "I don't know. She drank my blood straight from the vein."

"She did _what_?!" she looked at him in disbelief.

"Gohan, a few drops is enough to become stimulated, but drinking straight from the source can cause her to get into a state of sexual frenzy…as you have probably experienced."

Gohan nodded at this, frowning.

"Wait, does that bother you? It can be really great to spice up your sex life, you know. Vegeta and I do it all the time. It helps to increase my stamina as well, if you know what I mean," she said and winked at him.

Okay, too much information. He decided not to react to her remark.

"How about the other effects? And how long does it take for them to wear off?"

"Aside from the stimulating effects, it can also speed up healing processes and it can increase strength. I'd say it usually takes a few hours before the stimulating effect wears off, but it can take up to a week before the blood is actually completely out of the system."

"I see," he said and yet another yawn came out of his mouth.

"Listen, why don't you take a break and go home for today. You look seriously fatigued, Gohan. Please get some rest," she said, now looking a little concerned.

He gave a light nod, already looking forward to jump into bed and get all the sleep he had missed last night.

* * *

Though it was an ordinary workday today, Athena was in the woods near the camp of the amazons. She had asked to get two weeks off from work, because Persephone insisted she'd stay at the camp to prepare herself for the ritual. She absolutely dreaded the fact she'd have to bond with Nero, but if that was what the gods wanted, then she'd had to accept it.

Athena and Aurora were sitting near the river. Autumn had begun and the air was rather cool, but the sunrays still provided some warmth during the day. Besides, Athena and Aurora were used to being out in nature, so they didn't really mind the coolness of autumn weather. The scenery around them looked beautiful; the leaves from the trees were changing its colours, going from green to different shades of yellow, orange and red. Some animals were already preparing their little homes for their hibernation.

Aurora sat in front of Athena, her hair being braided by the older amazon.

"Athena?"

"Hmm?"

"What's it like to have a father?" Aurora asked.

Athena was a little surprised, for the question came out of the blue, but she understood that Aurora was curious since she had never met her father. Athena felt a little sorry for the younger amazon, that she hadn't had the chance to grow up with a supporting father. On the other hand, that way Aurora didn't feel the pain of missing him either.

"It's…wonderful, Aurora. Being around my father always made me feel safe and warm. He gave his own life to protect mine," Athena answered, smiling at the memory of her father.

"Do you miss him?" Aurora now turned around to face Athena.

"Yes. Very much," she spoke softly. She really did miss her father, especially that certain kind of warm embrace only a father could provide, the one where he would envelop her in his big arms, making her feel safe and protected, like nothing bad could ever happen. Reality was harsh though.

Aurora nodded and the two remained silent for a little while. Songs sung by birds filled the forest, their chirping sounds echoing through the woods.

"Hey, who was that black-haired guy you were sparring with the other day?" Aurora asked all of the sudden.

"Huh? You spied on us?!"

"Not really, I just happened to…notice the two of you when I was out hunting. It looked a little heated to me. Do you like him?"

"Of course, as a friend that is."

"Right," Aurora answered, a sly smile forming on her lips.

Athena averted her gaze from Aurora, feeling some heat creeping up her cheeks. Why did Aurora have to be so damn perceptive? Athena sure had noticed how handsome a man Gohan had become over the years with his masculine jawline, high cheekbones, black spikey hair covering his head, one bang dangling over his forehead and then those charcoal coloured eyes that could penetrate right into your soul. But it wasn't like she was crushing on him, at least, that was what she kept telling herself, for Gohan was engaged and thus not available. Besides, the gods had decided for her to be with Nero and Gohan and her would probably have to part ways from there.

Athena stood up, sighing. "Come, let's hunt," she said and ran into the woods, soon followed by the younger amazon.

* * *

Gohan woke in complete darkness and felt somewhat disorientated. He looked around him to see he was just in his own bedroom. He grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand and saw it was 01.23 a.m. Great. He had slept the whole day and would be awake for the rest of the night now that he wasn't tired anymore. He noticed the space next to him was empty, meaning Videl wasn't home. He got up from bed and walked to the kitchen, switching on some lights on the way. A note was on the kitchen table. He picked it up and recognised the hand-writing as Videl's.

_Dear Gohan,_

_When I came home earlier today from work, I saw you were vast asleep, so I didn't wake you. Anyway, the doctors said my father might wake up any time the upcoming week now, so I'm going to stay at the hospital so I can be with him when he does. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible._

_Love, Videl._

Gohan put the piece of paper down after having finished reading it. He hadn't even spoken Videl since last night and it could take a week before he could. Videl had left earlier that morning for work without having said a single word to him. She was probably embarrassed .

Gohan scratched the back of his head, contemplating what to do now that he was fully awake in the middle of the night. He walked over to the window that reached from the floor to the ceiling and gazed out of it, staring at the city-lights that indicated the city was still buzzing with life, even though night had fallen. He sighed and the glass fogged up a little by his warm breath. It was almost suffocating to him being surrounded by mere silence in his apartment, being all alone. It provided him too much time and space to think about his past. He clenched his fists as he shut his eyes.

'_No, were not going back there,' _he thought. He quickly put on his shoes and ran out into the darkness, flying up in the sky, wanting to escape his own thoughts.

* * *

Athena tossed and turned on her sheep's pelt that was her bed. She was wide awake, too restless to be able to sleep, as the ritual was only days away. She _tried_ to accept that there was no other way, but somehow she just couldn't. To her the ritual didn't seem right. She tried to mask her worries from the rest of the clan, because how would they understand her troubles if Persephone, the wisest in their clan, didn't even seem to understand why having to perform the ritual bothered her so much?

She sighed heavily and got up, pushing the blankets of wool off. She crawled out of her tent and sneaked her way through the maze of tents, making sure not to make any noise to wake anyone, until she got to the river, where she sat herself down near the riverbank.

She watched some fireflies who seemed to be engaged in some kind of dance, their little lights reflected by the water surface of the river. She envied the simple life those little creatures had.

Athena shivered as a breeze of the cool night-air caressed her skin. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them to her body, trying to keep warm. She suddenly realised she wasn't alone as she felt a presence getting near her. She closed her eyes to focus on which direction it was coming from, but she suddenly felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jumped up and turned around, taking on a fighting stance, ready to beat up the person if it was some freak.

"Geez, you're uptight!" a spikey haired man said, holding his hands up in defence.

Athena relaxed and straightened herself when she saw it was just her long lost friend.

"What the hell Gohan, what did I tell you about sneaking up on people?" Athena scowled at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologised and rubbed the back of his head, smiling innocently.

"Nevermind. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd go out and roam to clear my head," he answered matter-of-factly.

"So…do you always dress like you're going out on a date when you're going to the woods?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow when she saw he was wearing a white button-up shirt with a tie and black pants.

Gohan looked down at his outfit, then back up to meet her eyes and shrugged. "It's comfy," he replied and a playful smirk formed on his lips.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, but then smiled as well. "Fair enough," she said, and sat back down, patting the empty space next to her to tell Gohan to sit down as well. He did so and they sat in silence for a while, both gazing up to the sky and enjoying the display of sparkling stars. The sounds of crickets and frogs filled the dark and silent night.

Gohan cleared his throat before he spoke, breaking the silence.

"Why are you still awake?" he asked, glancing sideways at the young woman sitting next to him.

Athena looked back at him. Should she talk about it with him? Was it okay to do so? Maybe it would help to get her troubles off her chest if she'd talk about the ritual with someone outside the clan, right?

She looked at her bare feet that stretched out before her in the soft, damp grass. She bit her lower lip, contemplating where to start, since Gohan probably knew nothing about the rituals the amazons performed. She figured she'd have to tell him every detail, for as far as she knew them and just start from the beginning. Athena turned a little so she could look Gohan straight in his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, Gohan?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Meh, I'm having trouble writing these chapters lately. It's not like I'm out of inspiration; I do have an idea where I want to go with this, but I'm having difficulty how to get there without progressing too fast.**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**9.**

Gohan eyed the young amazon sitting in front of him. '_Reincarnation..?_' he thought.

Athena didn't wait for Gohan to answer her and instead continued talking.

"Gohan, remember what I told you the other day about Persephone naming me Athena?"

The demi-Saiyan nodded slowly and Athena bit her lower lip, not sure which words to use to make clear what she wanted to say.

"Well…the amazons believe in reincarnation. Persephone named me Athena, because she believes I am the reincarnation of the ancient Greek goddess Athena. Like her, I've got inhuman strength, the speed, the agility. Like her I've got the ability to communicate with nature and summon lightning from the sky. Like her, I am practically immortal."

Gohan's eyes widened and his mouth hung open, completely shocked while he was still trying to process the words that came from the brown-haired amazon. He tried to speak, his mouth opening, then closing again, really not knowing what to say. Athena looked back at Gohan, fiddling nervously with her snake-shaped bracelet, trying to gauge his reaction and saw something between confusion, surprise and disbelief spread over his face.

"But _how_?" he asked, eyes still widened in surprise.

"According to Persephone it is fate, Gohan. When the gods sense a Greater Evil is coming, the goddess of war chooses a female human to defend earth against this evil and shares her strength and powers with the chosen one." she answered.

'_A Greater Evil?', _Gohan thought, his brows furrowing together in thought.

"However, the one the gods have granted divine strength will not face the Great Evil alone, but she will be bonded with someone by ritual so that they can take on this evil together," Athena continued.

"A ritual you say?"

"Yes. By performing the ritual, I will share my divine strength with the person I will bond with. He will gain the same abilities, and we'll both be linked to the gods. The gods have destined for me to bond with Nero, the only male in our tribe. The bond will increase our strength and gives us eternal youth. We will be mates for eternity."

Gohan silently nodded, trying to process this wave of new information coming over him. This was all just _mind-blowing._

Athena moved to sit beside him again and cleared her throat when she noticed Gohan was silently staring off in the distance.

"So, what's your story?" Athena asked and glanced over to the man beside her, curious why he had come here.

Gohan clenched his jaws and averted his eyes. Part of him was rather desperate to talk about his past, just like she had shared hers with him. But he couldn't afford to let his walls down, just not yet. Thus he remained silent and made a gesture with his hand telling her it wasn't important. Athena narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, but then let out a sigh and looked back up at the starry night.

Both of them were lying down on the cool, damp grass to enjoy the night view; the moon was almost full and the stars sparkled against the black night sky like diamonds. Both of them were deep in thought, both having their own troubles to worry about. They remained silent though, not bothered by the silence between them. A breeze of cool night air caused Athena to shiver. As soon as Gohan noticed she was cold, he instinctively reached out his arm to pull her close to his body, as he, being half a Saiyan, had a higher body temperature and could provide them both a comfortable warmth. To his surprise, Athena snuggled up on him, laying her head on his shoulder and putting one arm over his chest, letting no space between them.

"You're so warm," Athena murmured sleepily.

Gohan's heartbeat quickened as he realised they were lying in what could be seen as an intimate position. Athena's breathing had slowed down and Gohan looked down at her face to see she had her eyes closed; she was sleeping. He swallowed hard when he noticed he could feel the curves of her body pressed against him and felt his cheeks flushing with heat. He had never been this close to woman before, other than Videl of course. But this was nothing more than a friendly gesture, he convinced himself. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

* * *

Athena woke when a ray of sunlight fell on her face, blinding her at first. She blinked a few times, looking at her surroundings and immediately shot right up when she realised she wasn't in her tent in the woods, nor in her own little apartment, but in a stranger's bed. She wasn't even wearing her own clothes, but some kind of oversized t-shirt; a man's t-shirt. She started to panic; how the hell did she end up here?

That's when the door of the bedroom opened and a wet and naked Gohan walked in, wearing only a towel around his lower body.

Athena started to panic more. She was only wearing her panties and _his_ t-shirt, he was naked, _had they…?_ Her eyes followed a glistening droplet of water that slid down Gohan's neck, trailing down over his broad chest, travelling further down over his stomach, gliding a little to the side to follow his hipbones until it got soaked into the towel. Athena swallowed hard when she took in the sight of his lean yet muscular built. Realising she was staring, she felt heat rise to her cheeks and she quickly tore her gaze away from his body to look at his face instead.

Gohan stopped in his tracks to the closet when he noticed the girl was looking at him.

"I see you've awaken," he said and cast her a warm smile, but cocked an eyebrow when he saw the panicked look on Athena's face.

"How did I...did you and I...?" Athena asked in a small voice.

"What?" he asked confused, as ever oblivious. Then he finally put one and one together and waved his hands in front of him.

"_Oh_, no, no! No of course not, nothing happened. You fell asleep last night and I didn't want to leave you alone unprotected and unsheltered in the woods, so I took you with me," he explained and now smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

A wave of relief washed through Athena. She noticed there wasn't any soreness between her legs, so nothing must have happened indeed.

She looked down at the t-shirt she was wearing and then looked back up to meet Gohan's eyes, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And you undressed me?"

"Well, yeah, your uhm, garments were rather damp from the grass," he said and Athena had to bite her lip to hide her smile as she saw Gohan started to blush. She couldn't help but find it somewhat adorable, rather funny that a young, yet grown man like him got embarrassed so quickly.

Suddenly she grew uncomfortable when she realised she had slept in the bed he shared with his _fiancée._ She felt rather out of place and quickly got up from the bed, pulling down the t-shirt a little as she noticed it barely was long enough to cover her behind.

"Videl's not here," Gohan said as if he could read her mind, "she's with her father."

"You can stay for a little while and we can have breakfast, if you want to," Gohan suggested.

Athena looked up at him, cocking her head to the side ever so slightly. She knew she had to go back to the woods before the amazons thought she had gone missing, but she didn't want to miss this opportunity to reconnect with her friend.

"Yes, I'd love that," she answered and smiled at his hospitality.

* * *

Athena and Gohan were sitting at the kitchen table, both having finished their breakfast.

"I didn't know you could cook so well," Athena said and patted her stomach happily.

"It's nothing," Gohan said, shrugging, "but thanks anyway," he added, a hint of a smile on his lips.

A beautiful black piano standing in the corner of the room caught Athena's eye.

"Do you play?" she asked and nodded her head in the direction of the piano.

"I used to, but I don't anymore."

"Why not?" she asked and instantly regretted asking it as she saw Gohan's jaw tighten. There was that look in his eyes again whenever Athena asked him about something from his past. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that she should not ask further. She cast her eyes down and a tense silence stretched between them. Athena barely dared to breathe.

"The last time I played was…at my father's funeral," Gohan spoke softly, breaking the silence.

Athena looked up at him and saw the pained expression on his face. She did not want to push him any further and ask questions. She could clearly see he was having great difficulty with saying just that sentence alone. Gohan stood up abruptly with a sigh and walked over to the piano, sitting himself down on the bench and he gestured for Athena to sit beside him. She stood up from the kitchen chair as well and walked over to the piano obligingly and sat herself down quietly. Gohan stared at the piano keys for over a minute before placing his hands above them.

"What do you want to hear?" Gohan asked in a soft voice, glancing sideways at the young woman.

"Anything, really," she whispered. Somehow speaking out loud didn't seem to be appropriate.

Gohan nodded and took a deep breath before he started to play. Athena looked at his deft fingers, how skilful they were, and how effortlessly they moved in harmony. She glanced up his face now and saw a certain kind of serenity and calmness as he was playing, but there was a hint of sadness as well, though she wasn't sure if maybe it was just because of the music of which the melancholic, yet soothing melodies filled the room, entrancing Athena with its sounds. It seemed like time and space didn't exist at that moment. There was only them, and the beautiful, dramatic music.

She hadn't realised she had let her head rest on his shoulder, eyes closed, until the music had stopped and Gohan cleared his throat. She sat herself up quickly and looked right into those charcoal coloured eyes that were so mesmerizing, that bored right into her soul. They were sitting so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, tickling her skin.

Suddenly she felt a huge wave of distress surging in her and she jumped up, causing Gohan to look at her confused.

"I'm sorry, I need to go," she said and hurried out of his apartment, still dressed in his t-shirt.

She recognised the distress immediately; it was coming from either Aurora or Persephone. They had managed to link each other's emotions by a spell, so that they could call out to one another when one was in danger. Athena raced to the top of the building in which Gohan lived and whistled to call out her flying horse, Pegasa.

The beautiful white horse equipped with heavy wings came down from the sky almost instantly and Athena hopped onto her back and flew to the woods, closer to the source of distress. She felt her heartbeat quicken when the feeling became more intense.

She'd never forgive herself if Aurora or Persephone got hurt because she wasn't there to defend them. Not after having witnessed both her parents and grandfather getting killed when she was just a child, when she was not strong enough to stand up and fight. She would not let that happen again to her loved ones. She couldn't afford to.

* * *

**A/N:** The piece I had in mind Gohan was playing is Nocturne in E flat major, No.2, Op. 9 by Chopin. Go listen to it, now.

So it took me like forever to write about Athena's powers and stuff. I myself wasn't really sure how strong and powerful I wanted her to be. I don't want her to be invincible or something, because I don't like it when one has no weak points whatsoever. So, just keep that in mind,mkay?

A flying horse, yeah, sure, not weird at all.

By the way, I've got all these ideas boiling in my head to write a fic about Gohan and Bra/Bulla, but I'm not sure how and if I'm going to pull it off. I don't really want her to be in high school, because that has been done a few times already, so I'd rather do something new. It's hard to make that couple work though, and I'm not sure how many people actually like them. But I like them. They're a guilty pleasure of mine. Are any of you interested in that couple?


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.  
**

* * *

**Masked**

**10.**

Gohan still sat on the small bench behind the piano. He wondered why Athena had suddenly rushed out of his apartment. Had he done or said something wrong? They had been sitting so close together, Gohan had been _so_ _close_ to tell her about his inner turmoil. Something about her just made him want to open up and share his worries. It was almost compelling. But what if she'd just pity him if he opened up about his past? He didn't want anyone to _pity_ him. Besides, he was a grown, though young, man; shouldn't he be able to solve his troubles by himself?

He got up from his seat and walked over to the large windows in his apartment to stare out of them and gaze at the buzzing city life. He was already late for work, but he decided he'd take an extra day off, knowing that Bulma wouldn't mind. His mind wandered back to the conversation he and Athena had the previous night…and back to how close she had snuggled up to him when they were lying on the grass. She had looked so peaceful, so _beautiful_ when she was asleep. And he had brought her to his bed and he had _undressed_ her. He blushed at the memory. He hadn't dared to look at her body when he took off her damp garments, for it seemed inappropriate, but he had felt how soft and smooth her skin was when his fingers accidently brushed against her skin and he had felt the womanly curves of her body when she had snuggled up on him. But he had refused to look, yet here he was thinking about her body now. He was a man after all. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts in his head and instead pondered over the information Athena had told him.

'_What was this Greater Evil she had been talking about?'_ he thought by himself. How come Dende hadn't warned him? Wouldn't he know such a thing? Gohan bit his lip in thought. Maybe it was just some kind of amazon thing that didn't involve the rest of the world.

After standing there silently for a while, he decided he'd go to his mother's house and visit her and Goten and spend the day with them. He hadn't seen them in a while and he knew his mother loved it whenever he did drop by. And he himself was so fond of his little brother who was starting to grow up now. He smiled at the prospect of seeing them today. Yes, it was going to be a good day today.

* * *

Athena soared through the sky on her flying horse above the trees, trying to find the person who had called out to her with such great distress. Then, in a small clearing she saw two people. She let Pegasa near the clearing and a wave of anger washed through her when she recognised the two people; Nero had Aurora pinned down on the ground and was threatening her with a long and sharp spear. She jumped off the horse while she was still flying and made a somersault to create a perfect landing. The instant she touched the ground she rushed near her sister who was in danger, but she stopped in her tracks when Nero drew the weapon nearer to Aurora's chest.

"I knew you'd come if your little sister called out to you," he said grinning evilly.

Athena grit her teeth. "Let her go, Nero," she said coolly.

"Now why would I do that? I was just having so much fun!" he said and put the tip of the spear on Aurora's chest, putting pressure on it just enough to cause Aurora pain, yet not enough to break through her skin.

Athena moved in what seemed to be the speed of light, kicking the spear out of Nero's hand and grabbing him by his throat to lift him off the ground. Athena saw the fear in her little sister's eyes and getting even more angry, she tightened her grip on his throat. Nero struggled in her grasp and made choking sounds.

"I can easily snap your neck like a twig, Nero, now don't make me do it," she spat, glaring at her sister's assaulter. He however smiled arrogantly.

"Y-you wouldn't w-want to do that t-to the b-birthday boy, w-would you?" he managed to choke out.

Athena let her grip on him go, dropping him on the ground. Her heart sunk. Today was Nero's 25th birthday, meaning tonight would be the ritual. She had forgotten about it after having slept so wonderful and peaceful and _comfortable_…next to Gohan.

Athena didn't want to show how anxious she actually was about it, so she gave Nero a kick in the gut and quickly turned to Aurora to help her get up. She was literally shaking from the terror the man had caused her. Athena wanted to _kill_ Nero for having done this to her sister. She absolutely hated his guts and she'd have to spend eternity with that guy. _'Goddamn fate,_'she thought to herself.

"Oh, and just so that we're clear, I don't want you to see that other guy no more," Nero said after having cleared his throat and dusting himself off. "If and when he crosses my path, I will kill him," he added matter-of-factly.

Athena froze, because she knew he'd really do it without hesitance if he'd get the chance.

"Now, let's get ready for my birthday party, shall we?" he added cheerily and headed towards the camp.

* * *

Gohan sat across from his mother at the kitchen table in silence, sipping his tea. He could sense her loneliness; it was written all over her. He instantly felt guilty. He really should come over more often.

"How's Goten doing at school?" Gohan asked to break the silence.

"He's doing well, but he's not as bright as you are. He's more like your father," Chi-Chi answered.

It was true; Goten looked a lot more like their father from the outside as well as from the inside; like his father, Goten was very good-natured, always optimistic and kind-hearted. But Gohan didn't like it when people called his father 'not so bright' or simply dumb. He was a good and smart man in his own way. He just wasn't lectured and he kind of had a different view on life.

But Gohan didn't want to argue over that with his mother, so he just nodded silently. "You miss him a lot, don't you?"

Chi-Chi peered over her tea cup at her eldest son, but then looked away and let out a sigh.

Gohan took that as a sign and stood up, took his mother's hand and lead her outside.

They walked down a small path for about half an hour in silence until they reached a meadow. It was the place where they had said their farewells five years ago before Goku left to another planet to sacrifice himself and destroy the evil Buu. It was also the place where Gohan used to spar with his father and it was the place where they as a family used to lie down in the tall grass and watch the stars at night and Goku would ask about all the different constellations and Gohan would answer them, always patiently, and Chi-Chi would just smile at them lovingly. Gohan had lots of good memories of this place and he cherished every single one of them.

In the centre of the meadow stood a huge cherry blossom tree. They walked over to the tree and stopped in front of it, looking up at the branches to which the flowers were attached. The flowers would soon leave the branches though to dance around in the wind. The life of cherry blossom was short, but beautiful.

The pink flowers rustled when a breeze of wind blew, making the tall grass sway. It made Gohan have goose bumps even though he wasn't actually cold. Being here always made him feel closest to his father, his hero, everyone's hero. He felt his mother's grip on his hand tighten and he looked at her face. She had started to age and her face was no longer completely smooth like it had been years ago. Gohan noticed that the grief, the incredible loss of the most kind-hearted man in the world had caused his mother to age so much faster. He clenched his other fist in agony, once again blaming himself for the fact that his father was no more along the living on earth.

"I miss his laugh the most, you know?" Chi-Chi spoke softly, her voice trembling.

"He had the most carefree and joyful laugh of all people," she added and smiled at the memory of her loving husband, but tears welled up in her eyes.

"I know he wasn't around that often, but when he was, it was always so nice and so much fun. He could light up the world with a single smile," she said.

Gohan swallowed hard. He used to blame his father that he wasn't around much to see his sons grow up or to care for his mother. And he had often taken his father's heroic actions for granted, just like most of the others did. No one ever could exactly grasp how difficult it must have been for him to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, to be a hero. But what Chi-Chi said was true; Goku had spent most of his time making sure everyone else was always safe and happy. He had never been selfish.

Gohan pulled his mother in his embrace and she started sobbing into his chest. He felt a lump in his throat as tears welled up in his eyes as well, but he would not shed them. It was horrible to see his mother aching like this. But he didn't allow himself to cry. He needed to be strong and keep his mask on. He forbid himself to show vulnerability.

* * *

Night had fallen and the full moon shone brightly. Athena stood in a clearing, facing Nero. She was terribly anxious, but she tried to suppress it as much as possible, because she didn't want Aurora nor Persephone nor anyone for that matter to notice her anxiety. So she just stood there with a blank expression on her face. The other amazons stood around the couple in a circle. A fire had been made in the middle of the circle, right next to where Athena and Nero were standing. Persephone entered the circle to stand by the couple that would soon be bonded for eternity. She was holding a golden cup in her left hand and a sharp knife in the other.

"Tonight, women, we are here to create the eternal bond between these two young people. They will protect the earth against the Greater Evil together, for the gods have destined for them to do so. But first, let us praise the gods from the Olympus," Persephone spoke and everyone but Athena and Nero went to sit on her knees and lifted their hands up into the air, chanting the names of the Olympic gods.

Then Persephone stood up again and took one of Nero's big hands, his palm facing up. She put the blade of the knife on the inside of his hand and made a quick slicing motion. Nero grimaced from the pain. She held the golden cup under his hand to collect the blood. After that she turned to Athena and Athena gave her right hand, however unwillingly. She shut her eyes tight and wanted to scream to stop this nonsense. But there was no way to stop it; she couldn't escape fate. She flinched ever so slightly when she felt the sharp blade slice her hand open, while her face however remained impassive.

She balled her hand into a clenched fist to let her blood run out of the wound and into the cup. She watched the scarlet red fluid flow into the cup, mixing with Nero's blood. Suddenly she felt a fit of laughter rising to her throat and she just wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all; the ritual, her so called granted divine powers, eternity, _immortality_. It all just seemed like some kind of twisted joke or dream. But it was reality and it was right in front of her eyes and she could not deny it. But she wanted to deny it and escape, she wanted to go back to her previous life, back to when she was just a little girl and she had no worries, when everything was simple.

Persephone handed the cup over to Nero and everyone started chanting again as he took a sip. Then the cup was placed into Athena's hands. She looked at Persephone who gave her a nod and she slowly brought the cup to her lips. She closed her eyes as she let the mixed blood flow into her mouth. She had great difficulty with swallowing it down; it was disgusting to her. Not even so much the fact she was drinking blood, but rather the fact that it was hers mixed with _Nero's_. She handed the cup back over to Persephone who threw the remaining blood in the fire and who started some kind of spell. Athena didn't even listen or pay attention any more. It all just didn't matter to her any more. She was going to spend eternity with the man she hated. She looked up at Nero and saw that awful smirk he always had. She absolutely dreaded what had to happen after the spell and unfortunately Persephone had just said the last words of the spell.

She took both of their hands and led them away from all the other amazons to an empty tent in a somewhat more secluded area. "You know what to do now," she said.

"And Nero, be gentle with her," she added before turning around and leaving the two of them alone.

"Always am," Nero answered sarcastically.

"Ladies first," Nero said and pushed Athena into the tent. Athena fell down on the soft plaid that was spread out. Her heart was racing and she thought it could jump right out of her chest any second. Her mouth went dry as she was absolutely terrified of the man who followed her into the tent. This was not how she had envisioned her first time of having sex would be. She had always thought of it as an act of love between two people, not as a part of some crazy ritual!

Maybe she could hold Nero off, as she was still stronger than he was, for the last step in the ritual had yet to be performed. Or maybe he would back off himself, maybe he'd be just a little more patient. Maybe he'd wait.

But he didn't. He climbed on top of Athena almost instantly and pushed her down forcefully. She could tell Nero had already become a lot stronger through the blood sharing. As she felt his hardened manhood pressing against her lower stomach, waves of panic washed over her and she felt tears well up in her eyes. No, she could not let this happen; it didn't feel right, it _wasn't_ right.

She pushed his heavy body off her with some effort, got up quickly and rushed out of the tent, running into the woods. She heard an angry growl coming out of the tent and she sped up more, racing through the woods on bare feet swiftly like an African gazelle. She heard her own heartbeat thudding in her ears as well as the rushing of her blood. Though it was dark in the forest as the trees prevented the moonlight from illuminating the ground, she didn't need much light as she knew the woods like the back of her hand, for which she was grateful.

Thinking she was far enough now, she slowed down and hid behind a big tree. However, Nero was close behind her.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Athena held in her breath and not daring to move, she stayed absolutely still in her hiding place. But Nero had found her all too soon and showed her that by shooting an arrow in the tree she was hiding behind. It landed in the tree with a loud thud, making Athena jump.

Suddenly Nero was standing in front of her, glaring down on her with a menacing look and smiling deviously. It was dark, but Athena could still discern the features of the man she had come to hate. She felt trapped; he was pushing her up against the tree and had her wrists pinned down.

"You still owe me a birthday present, Athena," he said in a low voice.

She shook her head violently. "No! Get away from me!"

"Shut up!" Nero hissed.

She wriggled under his grip more, but she couldn't push him away, as she couldn't use her hands. She felt yet again his arousal pressing against her and it disgusted her. Nero used one of his big hands to hold both of her wrists above her, using his other hand to remove Athena's underwear. He lowered his head to her neck and she felt his warm breath on her skin, making her shiver in fear. She wanted to call out to Aurora or Persephone, but she knew she couldn't; they all expected her to fulfil her role and complete the ritual, to complete the bond.

A tear slid down her cheek as she shut her eyes tight, her lips trembling. This was it. After this, they'd be together, for eternity.

She braced herself for the torture to come.

* * *

**A/N: So I wanted to write a little piece about Gohan and Chi-Chi's relationship and how they're coping with Goku's death. She's often depicted in stories as an overprotective mother, or as an obnoxious, constantly shouting woman or as a woman who's obsessed with getting grandchildren. However, I wanted to create a somewhat more likeable version of her, as I do believe that she really did love Goku and I kinda wanted to show that in this chapter. I'd love to hear what you guys think about that piece.**

**Oooh I just hate Nero, yet I created him myself lol.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sup? Sorry this took a little long, explanation is at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**11.**

But the torture didn't come.

"I think the lady said no," a deep, masculine voice sounded and suddenly Nero was thrown aside, releasing Athena from his grip.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Her knees were rather wobbly from fear, causing her to slide down the tree and sit on the ground. She saw how Nero lunged at her saviour, who hit his jaw with his right fist in an uppercut, causing Nero to fall back a few feet.

Then the figure looked back at Athena and immediately rushed to her side, kneeling down to place his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern washed over his face.

Athena nodded and smiled weakly when she discerned her saviour's features as Gohan's, but then looking over his shoulder, her eyes widened in shock.

"Nero, no!" she screamed.

An arrow whooshed through the branches of trees, rustling the golden coloured leaves as it passed them, the sound of it causing Gohan to jump up and take a fighting stance, but it was already too late.

The sharp-pointed weapon struck him right in his chest, piercing his skin and flesh. Gohan fell down on one knee and groaned in pain. He gripped the arrow, wanting to pull it out, but regretted doing so as it caused only more excruciating pain.

Nero fired yet another arrow at the wounded man, but Athena moved at the speed of light and caught it just in time, throwing it right back at Nero. He however dodged it by jumping into a tree.

"You won't be so lucky next time, Athena," he said angered, yet with an arrogant smirk before disappearing into the dark woods.

"Bastard…" Athena muttered, jaws clenched together in agony. Then she whirled around and turned her attention to the half Saiyan who was now on all fours on the ground, panting in pain.

Athena knelt beside him.

"We need to get this thing out," she said calmly and focused.

Gohan nodded weakly, causing droplets of sweat that were dripping down his face to fall on the forest soil that was covered in soft moss and crispy autumn leafs. He sat up to face Athena, a grimace of pain on his normally calm and composed face.

"Ready?" Athena ripped the arrow out of his chest before he could even answer. He gave a loud growl and the blood oozed out of his wound. Athena made him sit against a tree so that she could inspect his injury. However, it was way too dark as it was night and the foliage prevented the moonlight from illuminating the surroundings.

"Come," Athena said, making Gohan stand up, "we need to take care of this wound."

"Nah, I'll live," Gohan replied in a strangled voice and tried to push her away, making Athena scowl at him. She whistled to call out Pegasa and the winged, divine horse arrived quickly.

"A flying horse? _Really?_" Gohan said, eyes widened in disbelief, followed by a grunt of pain.

"O shut up, you're the one who's half alien here."

Athena let Gohan get on the horse first, then hopped onto the horse herself, giving Pegasa orders to fly to her apartment in the city.

* * *

They arrived a little while later and made it to her apartment, but not without Gohan stumbling along the halls. Luckily they didn't encounter anyone along the way as everyone was probably asleep.

Athena left Gohan to sit and wait on the couch while she herself went to the bathroom to get the items she needed to treat Gohan's wounds. She took a first-aid kit out of the medicine cabinet and grabbed some towels as well. Then she took a small tub and turned on the faucet to fill it with water. However, when she came back, having two towels swung over her shoulder and balancing the water-filled tub and first-aid kit in her hands, she found Gohan asleep on her couch. She cocked her head to the side and couldn't help but smile a little before she put all the items on the coffee table near the couch. She decided she might as well take a shower herself and rinse off all the dirt from having spent the day in the woods.

When she finished showering, she put on a black tank top and grey shorts as her pyjama. As she entered the living room, she tip-toed her way to the armchair across the couch and sat herself down. She chewed on the inside of the cheek as she watched Gohan sleeping. At first sight he looked like any other sleeping person, just lying there motionless except for the slow rising and falling of his chest, indicating a steady and calm breathing. However, as Athena studied his face, she noticed how even in his sleep the young man wore a troubled expression. She wanted to reach out her hand and caress his face and smooth out the frown, but she didn't want to wake him, so instead she got up and walked to the kitchen to fill herself a glass of water. She made her way back to the arm chair and nestled herself in it, sipping her water. She stared at random objects in her modestly furnished living room as she contemplated the events of the day. Her mind wandered back to what had happened in the forest, back to the ritual, back to…_Nero_. She shuddered as a shiver ran up her spine at the thought of that man. She feared going back to the tribe, back to him, and having to complete the ritual. She was very grateful for having been saved by Gohan, but she knew she had to go back eventually and face reality. But somehow it just seemed wrong to complete the ritual, not just because she didn't love him, and she felt terribly uneasy whenever she thought of it, but it _couldn't_ be wrong, could it? Because Persephone had told her it was fate and fate is always right and there's no way to change it. That's why it's called fate.

Suddenly Gohan started to stir on the couch and murmur inaudible words, shaking Athena from her thoughts. Athena glanced up at him and when she saw the agonized expression on his face, she rushed to his side and knelt down, taking his face in her hands. Droplets of sweat had formed on his forehead and he was clenching his fists. As he started thrashing his head from side to side, Athena realised he was having a nightmare and she put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him to try and wake him up.

"NO!" he cried out in a strangled voice, then shot straight up to look around him wildly, his breathing erratic.

"It's okay, Gohan, it was just a nightmare," Athena said shushing him.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and then put his face in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. When Athena's questions about what happened were being ignored by him, she knelt down right in front of him and took his large hands in hers, stroking them softly with her thumbs. Gohan's eyes followed the slow motions and he bit his lip. Athena demandingly searched his eyes, but the demi Saiyan shook his head sighing and pushed her gently aside to stand up and walk over to the window. Athena however followed him and stood next to Gohan, who was gazing at the night sky, his breath fogging up the glass.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, resuming to stare out of the window.

"Doing what?"

"Why do you _care_?"

She looked at him with a blank look on her face for a few seconds before answering.

"Because I see…you're hurting, you're in need."

"No, what I need is for you to stop bothering. I don't need anything, especially not from you," he said bluntly.

"Would you just _stop_ it?"

"Stop what?" he asked indifferently.

"Stop acting like you're okay when clearly you're aching, stop pushing people away, stop hiding behind that mask of yours, just stop! You're not who you used to be, Gohan. I can see desperation and pain written all over you."

Gohan now started pacing back and forth, clenching and unclenching his hands.

"_Look _at me, Gohan."

She put a hand on his shoulder to stop him and face her. When he slowly turned around she was startled by the expression on his young and handsome face; it was the expression of a soul that had been tormented for too long, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Gohan…" she whispered and now reached one hand up to place it on the side of his face, closing her eyes in the process. Gohan's jaws tightened as he knew this was how she could read his emotions. This was how she could feel all of his inner turmoil, his pain, his grief, his despair. And he let her. Perhaps this was easier, for he wouldn't have to actually speak out loud this way.

Then Athena let out a sigh and opened her eyes. And there it was. As Gohan gazed into those azure coloured eyes, he found patience, sympathy and warmth. But above all, there was _understanding_ and it gave him a sense of relief. He didn't even have to say a thing out loud, yet she understood perfectly.

"Come, let's get you cleaned up," she spoke softly and lead him back to the couch.

Athena made Gohan sit back down on the couch while she grabbed a towel off the coffee table. Then she knelt down in front of Gohan, positioning herself between his legs.

"Take off your shirt," she demanded in a soft voice as she wetted one towel.

Gohan obliged, though it took him quite some effort to lift up his shirt over his head without his chest wound protesting.

Athena started cleaning the area around the wound and after a while Gohan relaxed, closing his eyes and sitting back as she was wiping the blood away in slow and careful motions. When the towel was too stained with blood, she took another one and dipped it into the tub to make it damp and clean up the blood that had trailed down all the way to his lower abdomen. When she made her way to the rather sensitive area at his pelvis, Gohan's eyes shot open and he looked down to see Athena cleaning him up, biting her lower lip in concentration. The rubbing motions made him shiver in delight and he let out a soft sigh, causing Athena to stop and look up at him questioningly, a trace of amusement on her face. He now kept his eyes open to follow the rest of her movements. She made her way back up to his chest, his tight muscles twitching lightly. The wound had already started to heal and close, but it still needed to be bandaged. She made sure all the dried blood was wiped away before she put on the bandage. Gohan winced lightly when she applied the bandage and touched the injured area. When she was finished, her hands remained flat on his warm chest.

"There, all done," Athena spoke softly, but she didn't move to stand up.

Gohan felt how her soft and delicate hands were resting on his chest and he swallowed hard when he looked down at the woman who was still kneeling between his legs. He suddenly became hot, his skin tingling as his pulse and breathing quickened. They were so close. The way the soft lighting hit her made her look absolutely stunning with those long, brown waves of hair falling past her shoulders. He felt himself almost drowning in those azure coloured eyes that held an odd mixture of fierceness and kindness in them. He unconsciously let his eyes travel over her body and he felt his palms getting sweaty as he took in her womanly figure. There wasn't left much to the imagination as her tank top and shorts revealed her curvy body and quite some bare skin. He could feel the tension building up in the room, as well as a fire igniting in his body. Suddenly he snapped out of it as a heated blush rose to his cheeks and he stood up abruptly. They were _too_ close.

"I should go," Gohan spoke in a low, somewhat husky voice and turned to walk away.

Athena however rose to her feet as well and stopped him by gripping his wrist. "Don't," she said and made him turn back around to face her.

"Stay."

And he did.

* * *

**A/N: The majority of this chapter is inspired by a song called 'I should go' by Levi Kreis as I had it on repeat while writing this. I highly suggest you look up the lyrics and perhaps give it a listen as well. The song describes Gohan's feelings towards Athena **_**perfectly**_**. ****I'm not turning this into a songfic, I just get inspired by songs quite often and I thought it might be nice to let you guys know which songs inspired me to write a certain chapter, especially when a song gives a better insight to a character.**

**Btw, I rewrote this chapter over 9000 times. No, that's not true, but I did rewrite it sooo many times, because I just couldn't seem to get the characters react like they should and I couldn't seem to get the right amount of drama. At one point I made it look so dramatic to the point it was rather corny, resulting in me deleting the whole thing. I just kept editing, but I decided I'd just update this version, before I change my mind again. So that's why it took so long to get this chapter done AND I've started my new Gohan/Bra fic, called **_**Undisclosed Desires, **_**so if you like yourself some GohanxBra as well, go check it out now :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So, it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry about that. I hope y'all haven't stopped reading because of it.**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own DBZ, or anything affiliated with it.**

* * *

**Masked**

**12.**

While Athena went to the kitchen to make some tea, Gohan sat back and looked around, taking in his surroundings. Athena's little apartment was furnished modestly with few decorations, just a few plants, and everything was in earthy tones. It was warm and cosy, and Gohan found himself seated quite comfortably on the couch between soft cushions. In a way, the simplicity of Athena's apartment reminded him of his parents' home.

The young amazon warrior came back with two mugs filled with steaming hot tea and handed one over to Gohan, at which he thankfully smiled at her. She nestled herself on the other end of the two-seat sofa, her legs crossed while facing Gohan. As Athena brought her mug up to her lips with both of her hands clasped around the hot mug, Gohan's eyes fell once again on the golden snake-shaped bracelet around her left wrist.

"That bracelet, you seem to always wear it."

"This one?" Athena asked while holding out her wrist. "I got it when I became a mature woman, in amazon terms that is, which is also when I fully gained my divine strength. You see, snakes are often seen as vicious, dangerous and malicious animals. Most people fear them, for they associate snakes with danger and slyness, but it hasn't always been like this. Back in the day, with the ancient old Greeks and even with Egyptians, snakes were respected animals by humans. For them the snakes symbolised birth and rebirth, because of the fact that they can renew their skin. Kind of like the moon that becomes full every month. This certain snake-shaped bracelet I am wearing is actually called an _Ouroboros_, which is ancient Greek for 'snake devourer'. It's a snake biting its own tail and it symbolises de cyclic course of nature; creation and destruction, life and death, the eternal cycle of renovation."

Gohan nodded and listened intently as Athena explained the symbolisation of the snake in ancient Greek culture. He found it quite interesting as he himself was into myths and stuff like that as well.

"Sometimes you need to look beyond the exterior to find what really _is_…" Athena paused for a moment and smiled warmly at Gohan. "Our amazon tribe is all about symbolisation and rituals, you know."

Gohan's mouth set in a grim line at hearing the word 'rituals'.

"That man who assaulted you back in the woods…I'm assuming he's the one to be your mate by that ritual you told me about earlier?"

"Nero, yes," Athena answered, her smile having faded almost immediately at the reminder.

"Why him?"

"Because he's chosen by the gods," Athena answered matter-of-factly.

"Do you even love him?" Gohan asked, looking directly at Athena with his penetrating, dark gaze.

Athena however averted her eyes from him.

"Does that even matter?"

"Of course it does. You don't want to spend the rest of your life with someone - " Gohan paused mid-sentence as what he was saying felt like it was almost directed to _himself_. It made him frown in confusion. But when Athena gave him a quizzical look, he quickly regained composure to finish his sentence.

"…you don't love, do you?"

"You don't understand. If it's fate, I'll just have to accept it." However, the bitterness in her voice did not escape Gohan's notice.

His brows drew together again in a frown. He had never been much of a fatalist himself; he had been taught to always stand up and fight, no matter what the odds are. It's always about that single ray of hope that made it worth the try and that would encourage him to engage in battle. He believed in the existence of chances that granted you the opportunity to establish a destiny of your own.

Gohan shook his head and with his free hand he impulsively reached for one of Athena's to hold it, while searching her eyes. When she didn't look at him, he placed his mug on the coffee table to free his other hand, lifting her chin up with two fingers to make her meet his eyes. His heart sunk when he saw the sombre sadness in Athena's azure eyes that where brimming with tears. She rapidly tried to blink her tears away, biting down her lip, but it was in vain as a single tear slowly slid down her cheek.

"Hey…please don't cry," Gohan spoke softly, while soothingly stroking his thumb over Athena's hand.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I..." she paused to let out a trembling sigh, "the tribe…they all expect me to just fulfil my role, you know? I can't let them down, I can't just say 'no' after all they've done for me."

Gohan nodded understandingly, because this he did understand. He knew what it felt like when people had their expectations about you, while deep down you yourself know you can't live up to those expectations. It happened to him five years ago when the world was once again in danger.

"We'll find a way, okay? I'll help you, I promise," Gohan said and gave a warm and reassuring smile.

Suddenly Athena pulled him into a hug, startling him doing so, while murmuring a thank you near his ear. Gohan in return hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, inhaling the sweet fragrance that was Athena's own, mixed with the fragrance of some almond scented shampoo. The chemistry between the two of them was undeniable and Gohan was very much so aware of it, just as much he was aware of the firm pressure of her breasts pressing against his naked – and wounded – chest, making him blush. He may be usually innocent and at times naïve, but he was still a guy.

Maybe he should've left earlier, at least he told himself he _should_ have, but the problem was he hadn't _want_ to. He liked being with Athena; the sparring session the other day, gazing at the stars that one night, and now this moment. He simply loved the warmth of her embrace.

"Athena, I…" he spoke in a somewhat husky voice, as he pulled away.

"Yeah?"

"How long before the sun comes up?"

Athena looked at him quizzically, a little surprised by this seemingly random question.

"I think in an hour or so. Why?"

"We must be fast then. Come," Gohan said and stood up, grabbing Athena's hand and pulling her from the couch.

* * *

The amazon warrior and demi-Saiyan arrived in the woods a little while after, having been transported there by Pegasa. Both of them hopped off the winged horse and Gohan took Athena's feminine, yet strong hand in one of his, leading her through the trees down a small pathway. It was still somewhat dark under the vaults of the thick foliage, but Gohan didn't really need any light to guide him, for he knew this path like the back of his hand. The autumn leaves were crispy and made soft, crunchy noises as the young warriors stepped on them. Small sticks that had fallen off tree branches were snapped into pieces as they stepped onto those as well. These little noises were the only sounds that filled the forest, along with the first songs sung by birds that woke early and wanted to greet the upcoming sun.

After a walk of a few minutes they stepped into a large and open meadow, where tall grass swayed softly in the early morning breeze. Gohan stood still for a moment, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, taking in the fresh scent of the forest and early dawn. Then he opened his eyes again and resumed leading the way for Athena, walking over to the centre of the meadow through the tall grass that reached up to their knees. They stopped in front of the huge cherry blossom tree. The half Saiyan glanced over to Athena who stood beside him, and he saw her looking up at the tree with wonder and amazement in her sparkling eyes. The tree still had its pink flowers, truly a beautiful sight to behold. The sky was starting to change from darkness into shades of oranges and reds, announcing the arrival of the sun. Like always when Gohan visited this place, a shiver ran up his spine, giving him goose bumps.

"This place reminds me of him," he spoke softly, breaking the silence between him and the amazon.

"Your father," Athena half-asked, half-said, at which Gohan nodded.

"This was where I last saw him, this is where I feel closest to him, you know."

"Tell me what he was like."

"He was…kind, gentle and often cheerful, even in difficult times when everyone else was in despair and about to give up. He fought for justice and for what is right. He fought to protect the innocent and the helpless. He saw the good in his opponents no matter what and he was always ready to forgive, though that made him rather naïve as well. My father was one of a kind, really."

"He sounds like a true hero," Athena said and smiled warmly at the young Saiyan.

"He was…" he spoke, his voice trailing off into silence.

"But?"

Gohan averted his gaze and let out a sigh, running a hand through his black and spikey locks of hair.

"It was supposed to be me that day. I was assigned to be the next hero, to save the world from terror. My father would still be among the living this very day, if I hadn't been so weak and incompetent. But no, now he's _dead_ and it's because of me. If it wasn't for my foolishness, my father would still be here and we could all just be happy and my mother and my little brother and everyone and –"

"Hey, stop that," Athena interrupted, cutting off Gohan mid-sentence.

Athena went to stand in front of Gohan, wanting him to look directly at her, but he remained staring off into the distance.

"Stop blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

"How do you know it's not my fault? You weren't there when my father gave up his own life to save everyone else's, were you?"

"Listen to me, Gohan. I know what it's like to feel like you've failed. I've been there and truth be told, it _sucked_. But…I learned from it and it made me who I am today. You need to stop tormenting yourself and you need to _live_ again. Embrace life; it's a beautiful thing, Gohan."

"Life isn't 'beautiful'," he responded bitterly.

"Yes, it is," Athena said, now taking his face in her hands and forcing him to meet her eyes. "You just need to open your eyes and see it. Life is what you make of it yourself. We are all given opportunities and we all have to make decisions at certain points in our lives. And what we decide is very important, for all our decisions have consequences. Everything we say, everything we do…they all have consequences."

Gohan seemed to calm down as he looked back at the young amazon, gazing into her brightly sparkling eyes, finding himself being pulled down into the depths of those azure coloured orbs. It felt as if he was drowning into an ocean with no escape, no way to get out of there. There was no more denying the feelings that stirred within him whenever he met Athena's eyes that were ablaze with a unique fierceness he had never seen before. Her divine beauty was emphasised even more by the first rays of the golden sunlight from the early dawn that caressed her face.

The demi-Saiyan placed one of his hands over one of Athena's strong, yet delicate hands, that still rested on the sides of his face. He took his other hand to tip her chin up ever so slightly with his index-finger.

"What are you doing to me?" he asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper while he was looking intently at Athena, staring into her eyes as if he'd find the answer there.

Some kind of impulse he could no longer resist took control of him, compelling him and urging him on. There was no use in fighting it. Slowly he lowered his head, tipping his head to the side ever so slightly, and before he could stop himself he pressed his lips softly against Athena's in a gentle kiss.

He pulled away almost instantly though and a hot blush crept on his face, as he felt embarrassed at his own impulsiveness. He forced himself to meet Athena's eyes and gauge her reaction. Luckily for him she was just surprised, while a hint of amusement was on her lips.

The amazon traced his jawline with her index-finger curiously, before brushing her finger over his lips. The softest and simplest touch of this woman simply set his skin on fire, making the warmth radiate off his skin and tingling his senses further. His previous embarrassment was soon replaced by a different feeling when his keen Saiyan sense of smell picked up a strong and rather sweet scent that was simply intoxicating to him. It didn't take long for him to figure out what the fragrance was, as it was a rather distinct one. It made it impossible for him to resist yet another urge to lean in and taste her lips once again.

It took less than a second for the young amazon to respond, and when she did, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. Time seemed to stand still as the two young warriors shared intense and passionate emotions that had been suppressed by the both of them for far too long. Hot blood rushed through the Saiyan's veins as he pulled Athena in even closer, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck.

He himself let one of his hands tangle in her wavy, brown hair, while the other rested on the small of her back. A fire seemed to ignite deep in the core of his body, spreading heat throughout his entire body. He didn't pull back when the brown-haired divine beauty let one of her hands trail down over his chest, down his well-sculpted abdomen, tracing the lines of his perfectly chiselled muscles. He allowed her hands to roam around and explore his body, because he wanted her to. It was then that he realised how much he had craved her touch.

They were so close to each other, their lips sealed in a fervent kiss, hands curiously roaming over each other's bodies. But still it wasn't enough for the both of them. They wanted more, they _needed_ more; they needed to be even closer and be even more intimate.

And before they could think of the consequences, they lost themselves in the heat of it all.


End file.
